Report: Summit County Face Covering Order Leads to Drop in New COVID-19 Cases
Jul 29, 2020, 2:08 PM | Updated: 3:19 pm
Mask, masks, face covering, covid-19, coronavirus
SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah – The Summit County Department of Health reported new data that showed a recent county-wide mandate to wear face coverings in public led to a significant drop in new COVID-19 cases.
A news release said the decline correlates with the adoption of the mandatory face-covering order on June 26.
Officials analyzed a drop in cases that started on July 10 and continued through July 27, both in the county and the state. Results showed the decline in the county was “significantly greater” than what was observed statewide.
“We are encouraged by the results we’ve seen in the last ten days,” Summit County Council Chair Doug Clyde said. “Our situation at the end of June was extremely troubling but thanks to our residents and businesses, we have turned the corner. We hope to hold this course by continuing to properly wear masks and only gathering when and where it is safe and smart to do so.”
Graphs show daily cases increased in the two-week period of June 27 – July 11 and then began to plateau. Following the two-week incubation period after July 4, a consistent decline in new cases began, aside from a single-day spike.
Summit County Health Department Reports Significant Reduction in New COVID-19 Cases Due to Face Covering Order: https://t.co/fbM8yPg6l3 #parkcity #coalville #kamas #summitcountyut pic.twitter.com/KjwZDTGcLS
— Summit County Health – Utah (@SummitCountyHD) July 29, 2020
Summit County Health Director Dr. Rich Bullough said, “The data are clear: wearing a face covering decreases the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. Our economic and health outlook for the fall and winter is much more favorable if we can maintain this trend through community effort.”
Stay up to date with pandemic information in Summit County at summitcountyhealth.org/coronavirus.
Salt Lake County also has a mandatory face mask order in place.
Last week Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson said the number of COVID-19 cases in the county declined slightly since a face covering mandate went into effect on June 28.
At the time, KSL reported COVID-19 cases had gone from 45% – 50% of the state’s cases to roughly 35%.
The mask mandate for Salt Lake County has been extended to Aug. 20.
Some government and business leaders have asked Governor Gary Herbert to put a statewide face covering mandate in place. Instead, Herbert has asked Utahns to wear coverings voluntarily as a sign of compassion to others.
His next updated on the coronavirus situation in Utah is expected Thursday morning.
