Gov. Spencer Cox announced a large portion of the state’s transition into the Moderate level on the COVID-19 transmission index in early March. While much speculation has followed this announcement, according to officials, here are the facts: masks are still required, health and safety guidelines are still a priority and the global pandemic is still a valid threat. With that being said, a significant decrease in cases has influenced the move, and the transition has amended some of the restrictions Utahns have been experiencing.
Among these changes are the limitations on gatherings size, which has shifted from 10 to 25, and the removal of the 6 ft social distancing requirement in most entertainment venues. Masks are still required in settings where social distancing is not, and citizens are expected to abide by the mask orders pertaining to private and public businesses.
“Look, I know it’s been a really difficult year, and I know that these issues around the pandemic can and have been divisive,” Cox said during the announcement, “but please act with respect to your fellow human beings. If you enter a business and they are requiring you to wear masks, wear masks. Don’t yell at the clerk, don’t yell at the store manager. Don’t make a fool of yourself because you don’t want to wear a mask.”
Robin Ebmeyer, the Director of Health and Safety here at UVU, commented earlier this week on the announcement and some of its implications on campus.
“What changes here for us, what we have focused on, is the public gatherings. Everything else [on campus] remains mostly the same,” Ebmeyer said. “I don’t know if you will be able to eat a hotdog at the baseball game, but you will certainly be able to go. And that is something.”
Ebmeyer could not offer much insight on what the Summer and Fall semesters will look like moving forward, although the hope is that Utah County will drop to the low transmission status shortly, opening the door for more normalcy.
To see a breakdown of Covid-19 statistics and campus-wide restrictions, please visit the return to campus website.
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