Gov. Gary Herbert issues Executive Order on inbound travel into Utah

I-15 northbound in the Virgin River Gorge heading into St. George on the southern Utah border. Photo: Gephardt Daily/Patrick Benedict

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 9, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Gov. Gary Herbert has issued an Executive Order establishing a requirement for individuals entering Utah to complete a travel declaration form.

The Utah Department of Transportation will collect this information in an electronic form individuals will receive via text message upon entering the state, said a news release from the Office of the Governor.

The Executive Order was first announced during a daily press briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday.

The order requires every individual 18 years of age or older who enters Utah, either as a final destination through the Salt Lake City International Airport, or on Utah roads, to complete a travel declaration form before entering the state.

“I am impressed with the extraordinary things that Utahns are doing each day to help one another stay safe and stay home,” Herbert said by way of the news release. “In recent days, however, we have seen an uptick in travel on our roads. We need to limit our travel to essential purposes only. Our goal is to trace potential cases of COVID-19 in inbound travelers.”

I 15 northbound heading into St George on the southern Utah border Photo Gephardt DailyPatrick Benedict

This will be implemented by using a wireless emergency alert system near Utah’s borders in order to notify those entering by car and truck of the need to complete a declaration online.

The Utah Department of Transportation has coordinated with other state agencies and political subdivisions as necessary to identify highway entry points and ensure that each highway entry point is identified on a map made available to the public on coronavirus.utah.gov.

The Utah Department of Technology Services will provide the encryption of all data collected and transmitted pursuant to this order. It will also ensure the system involving the collection, transmission, and storage of data collected pursuant to this order meets national privacy and security standards.

No personally identifiable information or personal health information gathered as a result of this survey will be shared with the public or with any unauthorized individual, the news release said.

This order will go into effect at 8 a.m. on April 10 and shall remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on May 1.

View the order here.

1 COMMENT

  1. Utah borders need to be shut down unless it’s essential travel…truck drivers and others who need to supply us..Keep all those idiot California people from coming here in big groups that could care less..keep them out anyway!Just driving up property prices and bringing their liberal mindset with them!

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