SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Sept. 20, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Gov. Gary Herbert has issued an executive order that will again place Utah under a state of emergency, following record numbers of COVID-19 cases this weekend.
The previous order was scheduled to expire Saturday, said a news release from the Office of the Governor.
Under the new state of emergency, the governor will only take certain executive actions, such as suspending statutes, if asked to do so by the Public Health and Economic Emergency Commission. For more information on this policy, see the governor’s letter to legislative leadership here.
To that end, Herbert has issued brief renewals of statute and rule suspensions to allow Utah residents and agencies to prepare for the reactivation of the statutes and rules, the news release said. These actions allow Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control licensees to maintain their licenses even if they close down for a period of time; as well as suspending some requirements for using telehealth and suspending requirements that parole hearings be open to in-person participation. The actions also allow flexibility to retired employees who have not been separated from employment from a public employer for one year to return to work on COVID-19 related issues without jeopardizing their retirement benefits.
Going forward, phased health guideline changes and mask mandates will be issued as public health orders under the Utah Department of Health, the news release said.
See the executive order declaring a state of emergency here.
