GRANTSVILLE, Utah, May 27, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A controversial concert first scheduled for a Kaysville venue, then moved to Tooele County after public outcry in Davis County, has now been banned by the Tooele County Health Department.
Tooele County health officials on Wednesday issued an order to Jason Manning, owner of the amphitheater in Grantsville where the concert was rescheduled.
“This event falls under the definition of a Temporary Mass Gathering as defined in R392-400,” the department order says, in part. “Temporary Mass Gatherings, as defined by R392-400, pose an imminent health hazard at this stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The order went on to explain the risk levels announced by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, and the restrictions at the yellow level under which Tooele County is now operating. One restriction is on mass gatherings.
“Failure to comply with this order may result in criminal charges being filed pursuant UCA26A-1-123,” the order says. “Tooele County Health Department’s goal is to continue protecting the health and well-being of the community.”
The free Collin Raye concert, to be accompanied by numerous business sales booths, was sponsored by the Utah Business Revival. It was organized by Eric Moutsos, and had been set for Saturday at Manning’s Amphitheater at Studio Ranch, a private venue in Grantsville.
The concert has been characterized as a protest of the restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, designed to lessen the spread of the virus, which have caused economic losses to business owners.
Read the full order below:
While I totally support the Health Department on the reason for their action, I cannot support the actual action. In my honest opinion, it is foolish to gather in mass groups. However, a government entity prohibiting the gathering is a violation of the first amendment. This is exactly the situation the founding fathers saw when they wrote the first amendment. The purpose of a peaceful gathering cannot be used to prohibit the gathering. There is no difference between peacefully gathering to watch a concert during a pandemic and peacefully gathering to discuss revolution against a tyrannical government.
It should be the responsibility of the attendant to go or not to go. The government does not have the authority under the constitution to prohibit such assemblies no matter how righteous their intentions are. This loss of freedom is exactly why the bill of rights was written.