‘Complete shutdown’ may be only way to stop coronavirus spread, Utah officials say

With coronavirus cases climbing fast in Utah, the state’s top health official is warning that if something doesn’t change soon, a full-scale shutdown will be the only way to control the virus’ spread, outlets report.

“We are quickly getting to a point where the only viable option to manage spread and deaths will be a complete shutdown,” a memo state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn shared with state and local health officials, said, according to KUTV

Dunn went on to say that Utah must achieve an average daily case count of 200, for seven consecutive days, by July 1, KUTV reported, or else raise the threat level to orange.

Doing so “will send the message to Utahns that this outbreak continues to be a serious problem, and state leadership is committed to saving lives and preventing a complete economic shutdown.”

Gov. Gary Herbert downgraded the alert status to yellow on May 15, and 12 days later, coronavirus spread began to accelerate, Dunn said, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.

The memo, released on Friday, came the same day Gov. Herbert downgraded most of rural Utah’s status to green, the lowest alert level, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Dunn asked that face masks be mandated, “either by government or business enforcement,” and that no more safety restrictions be stripped away until at least July 1, the outlet reported. She added, “This might be our last chance for course correction.”

“If above isn’t reasonable, we need to be clear with the public about why decisions are being made lessening restrictions – economic, not health. Be clear about health risk. Be clear about how these decisions are made and who makes them,” Dunn wrote.

Like many states across the nation that have reopened their economies, Utah has been seeing record high daily COVID-19 case counts in recent weeks, Utah Department of Health data shows.

An all-time high of 639 was reported June 19, and there have been at least 300 every day since June 9, according to UDOH. The total case count stands at 17,906, as of June 21, with 158 deaths. Salt Lake County, with a population of 1.1 million, has had the most cases (9,052) and deaths (102), according to UDOH.

Hospital beds are filling up. If trends continue, Intermountain Healthcare told Dunn it won’t have any ICU beds open in July, and University of Utah Health will be past capacity in “four to eight weeks,” Fox 13 reported.

Dunn is only one voice among many informing the governor’s actions, along those of business leaders and lawmakers, according to Fox 13.

“The Governor shares Dr. Angela Dunn’s concern about the increased spread of the virus in our state. Her memo was prepared specifically to help frame key issues … and her analysis will be front and center in our meetings,” a spokeswoman for Gov. Herbert told FOX 13.

“Our plan will only be as successful as the willingness of people to protect themselves and their loved ones from the spread of the virus by following our common sense guidelines for social distancing, good hand hygiene and especially the use of face coverings.”

The head of Utah’s coronavirus task force recently told the outlet that while it will strongly encourage people to wear face masks, it will not make them required.