HERRIMAN—Over the past several weeks, Utah Governor Gary Herbert has updated state guidelines concerning the coronavirus, and on the evening of November 8, he declared a state of emergency. 

Utah has seen cases rise to a total of 137,385 with 672 total deaths, according to the Utah Department of Health. Hospitalizations have reached an all-time high, at 6,284, which is what the Governor has expressed the most concern about. “These changes[concerning new regulations] are not shutting down our economy, but are absolutely necessary to save lives and hospital capacity,” he said. 

The ICU at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City has reached a capacity of 104%, with extra beds being set up to help accommodate the exceeding number of patients. This shows just how dire the circumstances have become. 

New mandates from the governor include not only a statewide mask mandate but also a limit on social gatherings to household-only for the next two weeks. This does not affect any businesses or schools, but all extracurricular activities have been put on hold until the two-week notice is over. 

Concerning the Jordan School District, the number of positive cases has been rising considerably, with all of the high schools in the district now being within the 0.1-.9% or the 1-1.9% of students with active cases. Herriman High School, which was the high school with the lowest number of cases as of 2-weeks ago, is now facing 32 active cases, one of the highest numbers in the district. The JSD board is conducting an emergency meeting tonight at 5 pm to discuss the action required to reduce case numbers. 

Potential plans of action are being discussed both in our state government and in our local districts to try and reduce the numbers and spread of Covid-19 to more manageable and safe levels.