SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 26, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Democratic candidate for Utah governor Chris Peterson and his lieutenant governor running mate Karina Brown are suspending all in-person campaign events due to the rise in Utah’s COVID-19 cases.
“From the outset, our campaign has been focused on protecting Utah families and Utah’s economy,” Peterson said in a prepared statement. “Politicians have failed to keep Utahns safe with their patchwork pandemic response, leading to overrun hospitals, uncertainty in our public schools, and shuttered businesses across the state. Because of surging coronavirus numbers, we have made the responsible decision to suspend all in-person campaign events through Election Day. I hope that my opponent and other campaigns will join us in putting Utahns’ health and safety first during this critical time.”
On Sunday, Oct. 25, Utah health officials reported a rolling seven-day average of 1,490 positive tests per day and a 16.6% positivity rate. This latest surge has also resulted in increased hospitalizations, now up to 308 on Oct. 25. Hospitals are opening overflow ICU spaces and may soon begin rationing care as more patients are being admitted than can be properly cared for, the news release from Peterson’s campaign pointed out.
“The only thing that’s changed over the last three months is that there are now hundreds more Utahns sitting down to dinner with an empty seat because a loved one passed from COVID-19,” Peterson said. “The hard-working people of this state deserve so much better.”
Peterson and Brown will continue to campaign online through Election Day and plan to host a series of online events discussing key issues affecting Utahns, the news release said. For more on those events click here.
