SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah, Jan. 6, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Summit County has issued a face covering order in response to a surge in Omicron cases.
“Beginning Jan. 7, 2022, all individuals living within or visiting Summit County, Utah, regardless of vaccination status, must wear face coverings while inside public indoor facilities or waiting in lines,” said a news release from Summit County.
Public Health Order 2022-01 was enacted by Summit County Manager Tom Fisher and Summit County Health Officer Dr. Phil Bondurant in response to the record-breaking surge of the Omicron COVID-19 variant both in Summit County and across the state, the news release said. The order begins at 12:01 a.m. on Friday and currently is to be in effect until 5 p.m. on Feb. 21, 2022.
“This was not an easy decision and certainly not an action we wanted to take at this stage of the pandemic,” Bondurant said. “I am especially concerned for our frontline workers, our children and staff in schools and the current strain on our healthcare system. Masks combined with vaccines are critical tools to help us weather this surge and protect our critical services.”
Exemptions include:
- Individuals under 2 years of age, those with medical conditions, impairments, or disabilities that prevent wearing a face covering.
- Individuals engaging in work where they are alone in an indoor establishment or facility, individuals for whom wearing a face covering would create a risk to the individual related to their work as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines.
- Individuals seated at a restaurant or other food/beverage establishment while they are eating or drinking.
- The complete order and a full list of exemptions can be found here.
“Along with the health of our residents, workers and visitors, preserving and maintaining critical infrastructure services in our county is of the highest priority,” Fisher said. “As it stands, the Omicron surge poses a significant threat to our ability to provide critical services, such as emergency response, snow removal, solid waste collection, medical services, and others. This health order helps protect those front-line workers and the important services they provide this community.”
Violations of the order are punishable as infractions; however, the purpose of the order is to protect individuals’ health and not to hold them criminally liable. “Discretion will be used in the citing and prosecution of violations of the order,” the news release said. “Educating and supplying a mask to those in violation will be a priority of enforcement.”
