Gov. Herbert Announces Changes To School Quarantine Protocols, Alcohol Sales
Dec 17, 2020, 10:41 AM | Updated: 1:51 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Gov. Gary Herbert announced changes to some of the state’s COVID-19 guidelines.
During a press conference Thursday, he announced that the state’s ban on alcohol sales after 10 p.m. will be lifted starting Friday.
The governor also announced changes to schools’ quarantine protocols. Those changes go into effect Jan. 1, 2021.
Beginning in the new year, if a student or a teacher has direct contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, those who were exposed may not have to go into quarantine – as long as both people were wearing masks.
This will mean schools will start seeing a much higher attendance.
The current protocol is that if someone is exposed to a person who has COVID-19, both parties have to go home and quarantine. However, officials have learned through research and data the risk for infection is very low. About 1% of those people actually get sick.
“If the one that has the sickness, and those they have contact with, are (wearing masks), we are going to let them stay in school,” Herbert said. “They will not have to go home and be quarantined at all.”
It’s important to note this is only the case if both people were wearing masks.
This will help with disruption for teachers, students and parents – especially single parents. However, schools must still do contact tracing.
The governor also reminded teachers that they can test regularly and often, and they could get the vaccine by mid January.
