https://www.facebook.com/GovGaryHerbert/videos/2324041271230085/?t=935
- Note: Skip to 15:50 into the video to see the news conference from the beginning.
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 12, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — The University of Utah and Utah State University will transition to online classes next week in an attempt to limit the spread of coronavirus.
That was the word at Thursday’s news conference on Utah’s Capitol Hill, where Gov. Gary Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox joined representatives from the state’s public health and education sectors in discussing multiple developments in the fight to stem the coronavirus outbreak.
University of Utah President Ruth Watkins said beginning next week, all classes will be taught online, and that will continue through the end of the term. The U is also restricting large gatherings of faculty and staff, she said.
Utah State University President Noelle E. Cockett said online-only classes at her institution will begin Wednesday of next week, and teachers will work between now and then to set up the new format. Cockett did not say how long the online-only format will last.
Weber State University was not represented at the news conference, but also informed students on Thursday that in-person classes will be suspended as of Friday, and will begin again in an online format on Wednesday, March 18.
Salt Lake Community College also tweeted a similar message, informing students that all classes will move to an online format on March 23.
While many K-12 schools are open they are being asked to prepare to close. The Utah State Board of Education has approved a three-tier plan toward closure and school districts are currently working with local health officers to implement those plans.
Those were just a few of the headlines to emerge from the day’s press conference. The underlying premise of all of them is that the way Utahns go about their lives is about to change.
“I think everyone understands things have changed in the last 24 hours in significant ways,” Herbert said.
“Utah is a proactive state, and a prepared state,” Herbert said. “And at this point, these measures are purely preventative. By introducing social distancing in our communities, we are hopeful that we will limit how quickly coronavirus spreads, which will in turn result in fewer positive cases.”
Lt. Gov. Spencer J. Cox added that these recommendations were made taking national and global trends into account.
Cox asked friends to check on each other and on elderly neighbors. He said there was no place he would rather be during this or any emergency than in Utah.
“Great people always rise up,” he said. “I have always said the worst of times brings out the best of people.”
“We know from watching coronavirus spread in other places that spread can happen quickly, and that if unchecked by preventative measures, it has the capacity to overwhelm healthcare systems,” Cox said. “Preventative measures taken early do much more to reduce the impact of the virus than preventative measures taken late. That is why Utah is choosing to act now.”
Recommendations made in conjunction with the Utah COVID-19 Community Task Force and local health departments include:
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Limiting mass gatherings of more than 100 people
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Recommending that individuals over 60 should not participate in gatherings with more than 20 people
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Recommending that individuals who are immunocompromised should not participate in gatherings with more than 20 people
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Restricting visitor access to long-term care facilities and monitoring employees and visitors for symptoms of COVID-19.
The recommendations announced today will be effective for a period of two weeks. Limitations on mass gatherings go into effect on Monday, March 16.
Representatives from the Utah Jazz were also present at Thursday’s press conference. They announced all of their facilities would be closed to both the public and employees until deep cleaning could be performed.
The Jazz organization was rocked a few hours earlier after it was confirmed star players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell had tested positive for COVID-19.
Gobert’s diagnosis Wednesday night led to the immediate cancellation of Utah’s away game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which was followed by the NBA’s decision to postpone the remainder of the season.
Steve Starks, CEO of the Larry H. Miller Group, said he and the Miller family wanted to thank all those involved in the incident, apparently referring to the positive COVID-19 tests for Gobert and Donovan.
“I’m confident this will allow us to become a strong, more unified organization and a community,” Stark said.
Preemptive measures
Throughout the news conference Herbert stressed that preventative measures have been found more effective than reactive health measures. To that end, Herbert said, the initial strategy will be to keep people apart, because the virus seems to spread by direct exposure to the coughs and sneezes from those who have COVID-19.
“So far, we are not seeing community spread of the virus,” Herbert said. “We do know spread is going to occur.”
So it’s better to start preemptive measures too early than too late, he said.
The most important measures for any person are to maintain strong hygiene. People should wash their hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, avoid touching their mouths, eyes and nose, and self-isolate when sick with any illness.
Large gathering details
Herbert also said people should limit mass gatherings, such as church meetings, concerts, conferences and the like to 100 people or fewer over the next two weeks.
“That does not include schools right now,” he said, adding that each of Utah’s 41 school districts should work with its health department to determine the best course of action going forward. After two weeks, a reassessment can be made, Herbert said.
That announcement came hours after the Murray City School District announced it was closing “until further notice” after an undisclosed number of students and teachers came into contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID-19.
Following the news conference, theater companies including the Hale Centre Theatre and the Salt Lake Acting Company announced performances would be canceled. Contact those entities for dates affected and further information.
Herbert applauded businesses that were allowing employees to work from home, and he encouraged more to do so.
Herbert also asked that visitors to long-term healthcare facilities be limited, as patients are usually elderly or have compromised immune systems, and thus are more vulnerable to infection and possible death from the coronavirus.
Herbert noted that the actions mentioned will hurt the local economy, but “our economy will recover as it needs to.”
Herbert urged citizens not to rush big box stores and buy out supplies.
A “run on stores and tempers flaring is not the Utah way.”
