Summit County Issues New Joint Public Health Order, Lifts Stay At Home Order

Summit County, Utah (April 30, 2020) — Effective at 12:01 a.m. Friday, May 1, Summit County officials will lift the current Stay At Home Order and the new Joint Public Health Order, 2020-05 (the Order), will go into effect. This new Order transitions Summit County to the Stabilization Phase of the COVID-19 response and lowers the current risk level in the county to Moderate.

“Due to the support and cooperation of our communities and the hard work of our healthcare services, we are ready to move to the next phase of our fight against COVID-19,” Summit County Health Director Dr. Rich Bullough said. “The public’s sacrifices made all the difference in flattening the curve, allowing us to lift the Stay At Home Order. As surges of the virus occur in surrounding areas, we continue to stress the importance of personal protection and continue to discourage unnecessary travel from outside the area.”

Summit County’s Joint Public Health Order 2020-05 provides business specific protocols for 32 different local business sectors developed in partnership with business and public representatives, municipalities, and county leadership through an extensive outreach effort. The Order, an expanded and refined version of Governor Gary Herbert’s Utah Leads Together Plan, was approved by Governor Gary Herbert and the Utah Coronavirus Task Force, details the gradual re-opening of business and commerce while preventing the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing and sanitization protocols, and restrictions on specific business activities.  It is recommended that all residents wear a non-surgical mask or face covering that completely covers the nose and mouth whenever possible in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.

“This Order represents an exceptional effort by community members in coordination with staff of the municipalities and the county,” Summit County Council Chair Doug Clyde, said. “While the virus will remain with us for the foreseeable future, we can now take a step forward by cautiously reopening businesses. However, if we are to be successful in this effort, we will need the continued and full cooperation of the citizens of the County and the public that visits our businesses, in order to succeed."

In the Order, public and private gatherings are limited to no more than 20 people, with certain exemptions for emergency response, grocery stores, gas stations and other essential industries. All hot tubs, spas, saunas, steam rooms, locker rooms, bike share, dog parks, and leisure swimming pools will remain closed to members, guests, patrons, and the general public.

“It has always been the goal of our response to lift the Stay At Home Order as soon as it was safe to do so,” County Manager Tom Fisher said. “We look forward to businesses getting back to work under the new protocols outlined in this health order. Summit County is committed to supporting our communities through this transition.”

This Order is in effect until July 1 but will be reviewed in 14 days. At that point, the Order could be ended, extended, or modified. The Health Department will continue to monitor the County’s epidemiological data very closely throughout this new phase of the COVID-19 emergency. Should the data indicate new transmission of the COVID-19 virus or that the spread of the virus in Summit County has substantially increased, the County may be required to reinstate the Stay-at-Home Order.

Businesses, employees and members of the general public who have questions or concerns about compliance with the new Order are encouraged to call the Summit County Community Concerns Line at 435-333-0050. In addition to regular business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.), this line will be staffed from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3.

The Order can be viewed in its entirety at https://www.summitcounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/10898/Joint-Public-Health-Order-2020-05---Stabilization-Phase-signed. For current information on Summit County’s COVID-19 outlook, visit summitcountyhealth.org/coronavirus. At this website, the public can also find Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and community resources that are updated regularly as the pandemic situation evolves.