SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 26, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City Council member Dan Dugan announced Thursday he has tested positive for COVID-19, and is quarantining himself at home.
He is the second council member with a positive COVID-19 test, said a news release.
“I’m feeling fine and only showed minor symptoms after a possible exposure to the virus,” said Dugan, who represents District Six. “So, I’m glad I tested when I could for the health and safety of my family and those around me, and my workplace. I cannot stress enough how important it is to take precautionary measures, including workplace safety.”
Thirteen days ago, after believing he was exposed to the virus and showing mild symptoms, Dugan immediately self-isolated, the news release said.
“Nearing the end of my 14 day self-isolation, and free of symptoms, testing became more readily available so I opted to get tested,” he added. “I am glad I got tested because I tested positive just at the time I believed I was clear of the virus. I cannot stress enough the importance of staying home and how vital it is to adhere to social distancing. We must keep our distance and discourage social gathering.”
District Five Council member Darin Mano tested positive last week for the coronavirus and believes he could have been exposed to the virus during a trip to Washington, D.C., March 6-11, which included meeting with elected officials and others, the news release said. Five other City Council members were on the trip to the Nation’s Capital and have reached out to health officials. Council members are taking precautions and following guidance from federal, state and local health authorities.
“Please be vigilant in all aspects of your lives and practice safe separation from others,” said Mano, who owns a small business. “It is important to take even minor symptoms seriously, regardless of if your symptoms qualify you for testing or not.”
The City Council urges people to both stay tuned in to local government information and consider remote public participation in meetings during this pandemic, the news release said. The council successfully held its first fully-remote public meeting, with council members only, on Tuesday, March 17. The council meeting on March 24 did not have a physical location and the meeting was completely remote, including online participation by council members and the public.
“We began having the council staff telecommuting early on during the spread of COVID-19,” said Council Chair Chris Wharton. “At the same time, we invested the time and energy to quickly ramp up remote participation for council members and the public in our meetings.”
The council will hold meetings entirely virtually until further notice, using audio- and video-conferencing technologies.
- Read below how you can give your input remotely live during the meeting. Agendas are here.
- You can submit comments in advance to [email protected], or call the 24-hour comment line 801-535-7654 at any time.
All comments received through any source are shared with all council members and added to the public record.
