SALT LAKE CITY – Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday that he is optimistic about Utah’s COVID-19 transmission trends, but is unwilling to completely eliminate state coronavirus guidelines, such as the state mandate of the coronavirus. mask, until more Utahns are vaccinated.
The governor made his comments after being asked about the growing pressure to ease restrictions inside and outside the state. Cox said he understood the frustrations, but weighed the risks associated with reversing the course.
The state’s seven-day average of new cases has dropped 78% between Jan. 1 and Thursday. The seven-day average was 558 new cases on Thursday, which is the lowest it has been since last September. At the same time, Cox announced that the state is on track to open vaccine admission to all Utah adults before April.
“We’re in a really great place. I wouldn’t want to do anything that leaves us behind when we’re so close, but again, I don’t want these restrictions to be in place one more day than is absolutely necessary,” he said. .
The pressure Cox faces on the state’s COVID-19 restrictions begins at the Utah State Capitol. For example, the state House of Representatives passed a “final” pandemic bill that would lift the state’s mandate of masks and other pandemic-related guidelines issued by the state and the Department of Health’s Utah. He is still waiting for Senate approval. The Senate passed SB195, which limits powers during public health emergencies.
Cox argued Thursday that bills may not even be necessary, especially since most counties in the state are no longer in “high” transmission locations. He added that the data indicates that the remaining 11 counties in this category could go down in the coming weeks.
Once a county reaches the “moderate” transmission level, the mask mandate is maintained, but there is no limit to public meetings. This means that sports spaces and theaters can have uncompromising seats in parallel if people wear masks.
The governor said there were “many good things” in the bill, but questioned the timing. That’s why he said he would look at the final bill he had on the table before making the decision to sign or veto it. the Senate approves it.
“I hate that we have fights again right now. We’re so close to the end,” Cox said. “We’re all close. The end is in sight.”
Then there is the pressure out of state. Mississippi and Texas made headlines earlier this week when their governors announced they would lift coronavirus restrictions, including people sizes and mask recommendations. The Texas order will go into effect next week.
“Removing statewide mandates does not end personal responsibility; it is that state mandates are no longer necessary,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday.
But Cox also urged caution about what other states have decided. He dismissed statements from outside states as words of “people who want to run for president” doing “things you can do to get attention.” Cox added that he did not know if such measures would lead to peaks in new cases, noting that it is still difficult to project when exact trends will occur after a year of treating the coronavirus.
Instead, the governor reduced his attention to what he and his staff could do on the issue, and that’s vaccinations.
“I know what we have are vaccines, and what I do know is that these vaccines work. And what I do know is that if we vaccinate more people, then people won’t die and we won’t have to wear masks at all,” he said. . “That’s what makes me so excited and the sooner we get there, the better.”
Cox added that he believed Utah has found a balance that allowed the state to keep many aspects of the economy open while mitigating deaths from COVID-19.
He noted that the number of deaths per capita in Utah due to COVID-19 is much lower than most states, including Texas. That’s why we’ve sometimes had fewer restrictions than most U.S. states.
“I think we do it the right way … We haven’t been perfect. We’ve done a great job, but yes, we’ll feel pressure,” Cox said. “Everyone will feel pressure to open up quickly.”
While this is the end he wants, it’s something he said can only happen when enough Utahns have been vaccinated.
“We’re on this boat and we’re trying to get ashore. And now we’re in a place where we can see the shore. And if you’re a healthy swimmer, you can jump and you can do it but we have some unhealthy swimmers,” Cox said, attributing an analogy made by Utah Department of Health executive director Rich Saunders. “We would love to vaccinate them. That’s very important.”
Cox also defended masks as the “least intrusive” measure a state can have, in terms of keeping aspects of the economy open.
Meanwhile, public health officials were more nervous about decisions outside the state. Dr. Angela Dunn, the state’s epidemiologist, said public health experts worry when other states make decisions that could lead to an increase in new cases in places outside those states.
It is worth noting that state and local tourism experts pointed to Texas as one of the leading places for people outside of Utah to visit the state and national parks of Utah over the past year.
“As we know, this virus does not respect borders, even international borders,” Dunn said. “We’re just as safe as our weakest state. So if a scattering is happening in Texas or another state, it will definitely put Utahns at risk for spread.”
He added that this is why it is important for Utahns to continue working to ensure that new COVID-19 cases remain low, which means continuing to wear masks in public and physically distance themselves when possible.
Dunn also said it’s important for Utahns to get vaccinated when given the opportunity. This is especially true with the possibility of introducing new coronavirus variants that are more likely to spread more quickly.