SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall announced that she has formally requested the city be moved back to the orange phase of Utah’s color-coded plan.

According to a statement from the mayor’s office, the request is coming following weeks of increasing COVID-19 case numbers.

“Our data’s continuing upward trend is alarming and swift action is necessary. The shift to orange should be a signal to Salt Lake City residents of the gravity of this situation,” she said.“With this request, I hope to specifically target the behaviors that are leading to increased infections, like large gatherings, and will work with state and county leaders and other stakeholders to tailor restrictions to those activities.”

Mendenhall said her goal is to impact the increasing case numbers “without unnecessarily putting burdens on city residents and businesses.”

If approved, the shift back to the moderate phase would limit social gatherings to 20 people instead of 50.

“The mayor noted she would also request additional modifications. “Since the color-code restriction levels were created early this spring, public health officials and businesses have evolved their practices to effectively address the health and safety of the public without having to be as restrictive as some of the guidelines initially required,” she said.

Mendenhall said that while residents have been social distancing and wearing masks in some settings, “some is not enough.”

“It is imperative that we wear masks every time we are with people not from our immediate household,” she said. “We are all accustomed now to taking precautions in public; let’s take these safety measures with us everywhere we go.”