State Officials Issue New Public Health Order

SALT LAKE CITY — A new public health order was issued by Utah officials, updating statewide restrictions on COVID-19.

Richard Saunders, executive director of the Utah Department of Health, made the order at 6 p.m. Friday.

A nine-page document was released, outlining restrictions on individuals, event hosts, businesses, organized sports and activities, and institutions of higher education.

Most of the categories were broken down in terms of statewide restrictions, moderate transmission area restrictions and high transmission area restrictions.

The statewide mask mandate will end at midnight Friday, but the new order stated “regardless of a county’s transmission index designation, an individual shall wear a face mask while attending an organized event.”

The circumstances with which a person could remove their face mask were listed as follows:

• While actively eating or drinking, provided that the individual remains in place while eating or drinking
• When communicating with an individual who is deaf or hard of hearing
• While actively performing as an athlete at an organized athletic event authorized under Section (6)
• While exercising or engaging in athletic training while
  • Outdoors
  • Indoors and maintaining at least six feet of physical distance from any other individual from a separate party
• While giving a religious, political, media, educational, artistic, cultural, musical, or theatrical presentation or performance for an audience
• When engaging in work where wearing a face mask would create a risk to the individual, as determined by government safety guidelines
• When necessary to confirm the individual’s identity
• When federal or state law or regulations prohibit wearing a face mask.

The following individuals were exempt from the face mask requirements:

• A child who is younger than three years old
• An individual who is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the face mask without assistance
• An individual with a medical condition, mental health condition, or intellectual or developmental disability, that prevents the individual from wearing a face mask

The new order does not apply to an in-person gathering at a private residence for a non-commercial purpose nor at a religious service.

It will go into effect on April 10 and will remain in effect until June 15, unless it is modified or amended.

Additional information on the public health order as well as the Transmission Index can be found at the state’s coronavirus website.