Gov. Herbert: Masks will be required for everyone in all Utah K-12 schools
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Gov. Gary Herbert announced Thursday that masks will be required for all students, faculty, staff and visitors in all K-12 school buildings in Utah and on school buses.
The announcement comes as school districts are preparing their plans to reopen for the fall semester and after mounting pressure to issue a statewide mask mandate. Herbert said he will not issue an order at this time with the hope Utahns will take it upon themselves to stop the spread of COVID-19.
"We have the constitutional authority to mandate this," Herbert said. "At this time, I choose not to make it a mandate. I'm going to give the people of Utah an opportunity" to voluntarily comply.
The rolling seven-day average for positive tests is 585 per day, according to the Utah Health Department on Thursday. Herbert challenged the people of Utah to get the seven-day rolling average below 500 by Aug. 1.
He asked Utahns to stay home if they're sick, employers to work with sick employees, maintain physical distancing and wear a mask when physical distancing isn't possible.
"As a state, and as a people, we did really well in the first three months of coronavirus threat," Herbert said, adding that people "changed their behaviors and and became careless and cavalier" over wearing masks and keeping distance.
One of the problems is that we identified them by risk, Hebert said of the state’s coronavirus response plan. He said the plan probably gave a false impression and misinformation on how people can conduct their lives.
"We made a mistake by labeling red, orange, yellow and green as high, moderate and low risk and normal. It would have been better to refer to high, moderate and low restrictions," Herbert said.
Salt Lake, Summit, Grand Counties and the town of Springdale already have masks orders in place, where people are required to wear face coverings in public when social distancing is not possible.
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the governor was considering issuing a statewide mask mandate after discussing the issue with state legislators this week.
However, some of Utah's top leaders oppose a statewide mandate. House Speaker Brad Wilson and Senate President Stuart Adams believe Utahns should wear masks voluntarily, and plan to lead by example by masking up themselves.
Herbert also faced mounting pressure from the Utah Hospital Association which sent a letter Tuesday urging the legislative leadership to require Utah residents to wear masks.
Utahns, as well as people across the world, are encouraged by health officials to wear face coverings to help stop the spread of COVD-19. Many states, including Utah, are experiencing a surge in cases.
“We lead the nation to charitable giving that tells me that the people of Utah really do care about their neighbors,” Herbert said.
The Utah Department of Health reported the state's highest daily cases count to date on Wednesday with 722 cases and seven deaths.
Dr. Angela Dunn, a state epidemiologist, issued a statement Wednesday pleading with the community to "wear a mask in public" and "stay home if you are sick."
"Today’s positive case counts represent another daily record, and further reinforce the need for Utah residents to be taking the appropriate precautions to protect themselves and those around them. Please, wear a mask in public, practice physical distancing, stay home if you are sick, and wash your hands regularly. We are all part of the solution," Dunn wrote.
The Utah Education Association applauded the governor's mandate and issued the following statement:
Teachers are rightly concerned about returning to school this fall unless the school districts are prepared and taking proper precautions to protect students and staff,” said UEA President Heidi Matthews. “Today’s proclamation by Gov. Herbert requiring masks in public schools is a welcome step in the right direction.”
In a statement issued yesterday, the UEA outlined guiding principles school districts should follow as they plan for a return to in-person instruction:
Principle 1 – Health Expertise. All decisions to reopen schools must be based in scientific evidence and advice.
Principle 2 – Educator Voice. Educators must be front and center by fully participating in decision-making and implementation.
Principle 3 – Access to Protection and Training. Students and educators must have access to proper personal protective equipment and training on appropriate hygiene practices and protocols before returning to school. Utah schools, which are already underfunded, should not be faced with the decision of how to pay for this equipment and training.
Principle 4 – Leading with Equity. The pandemic was not experienced equally by all communities and populations, particularly in rural areas and communities of color. Funding and resources must be allocated to help close opportunity gaps exacerbated by the disparate impacts of school closures.
As of Thursday morning, the state had a total of 205 COVID-related deaths and more than 23,000 cases.
For more stories about coronavirus, click here.
