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Debate in Utah over responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

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These pages were updated from March 2020 through June 2020 and do not contain the latest commentary available. To submit arguments for inclusion on this page, email editor@ballotpedia.org. To learn how Ballotpedia decides which arguments to feature, click here.


Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting America's political and civic life. In addition to monitoring federal, state, and local responses to the coronavirus, we are also capturing the nationwide and local debates on whether to extend or lift coronavirus-related restrictions affecting the economy, schools, government operations, public health, religious services, and travel.

These arguments come from a variety of sources, including public officials, journalists, think tanks, economists, scientists, and other stakeholders. We encourage you to share the debates happening in your local community to editor@ballotpedia.org.


This article covers the debate over continuing restrictions and closures in Utah in response to the coronavirus pandemic. You will find the following:


Debate over stay-at-home orders in Utah

See also: Debate over stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on the stay-at-home order in Utah.

  • Utah 2020 gubernatorial candidate and former House speaker Greg Hughes (R) (Deseret News): Gregory Hughes (R) called for businesses to reopen immediately and the end of 'indefinite and broad mandatory shutdowns.'

    "A government-mandated market collapse is the road to socialism. No public health solution is viable that leaves families in a depression. There’s a risk to it, but is it a greater risk than not having a job to go back to? Is there a risk greater than not being able to pay your bills? If someone thinks the federal government can print all the money necessary ... someone show me how that works. I don’t believe it." - "Lawmakers to look at sending Utahns back to work," April 13, 2020.

  • Lauren Simpson, policy director for the progressive organization Alliance for a Better Utah (Salt Lake Tribune): Simpson said economic health and success depends on public health and said that easing restrictions "would be setting ourselves up for more economic stress down the road." - "Utah lawmaker says state ‘overreacted,’ driven by coronavirus panic and fear; calls for full reopening of the state," May 6, 2020.

  • State Representative Paul Ray (R) (Salt Lake Tribune): "It’s time to stop closing businesses and putting undue regulations and restrictions on our citizens. You have to go back and look at the fatality rate and that’s honestly pretty steady to what we’re seeing with the flu." - "Utah lawmaker says state ‘overreacted,’ driven by coronavirus panic and fear; calls for full reopening of the state," May 6, 2020.

  • Utah Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox (R) (Twitter): "But the only way out of this is to get more people tested, especially with mild symptoms, so we can understand where the disease is and prevent it’s spread. As such, we are one of the 1st states to open testing for any of these symptoms." - "@SpencerJCox on Twitter," April 15, 2020.

  • Utah Senate President Stuart Adams (R) (Deseret News): "We know [reopening the economy] needs to happen and we need to do it in the right way, we need to have businesses figure out how social distancing can be achieved inside of their own business. The bottom line is, if we go backward, we’ll probably have to do more restrictive measures again. I think every business knows that and I think it’s in their best interest to be responsible. I think most citizens know it now." - "Lawmakers to look at sending Utahns back to work," April 13, 2020.


Debate over the reopening plan in Utah

See also: Debate over reopening plans during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on the reopening plan in Utah.

  • Utah Governor Gary Herbert (R) (U.S. News and World Report): Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said steps taken to slow the spread of the virus were effective.

    "Some people think we’re trying to get to a zero-risk situation. That’s not true .... Life has risk. We’re trying to manage the risk to tolerable levels that will let us go back and re-open the economy and yet protect people’s health." - "Utah to Allow Re-Opening of Restaurants, Gyms, Other Sites," April 28, 2020.

  • Summit County, Utah, Councilor Roger Armstrong (Park Record): "It’s time to say it. The governor’s moves thus far, going red to orange, two weeks later or so going orange to yellow, and conversations almost immediately thereafter starting about transitioning down to green … borders on lunacy. . . .I’m very concerned about the direction we’re going statewide, and some of that involves relaxation from residents because we’re literally telling them it’s less risky" - "Summit County councilors criticize speed of state’s reopening, saying it ‘borders on lunacy’," June 3, 2020.

  • Deseret UT News Editorial Board (Deseret UT News): "The state’s COVID-19 Community Task Force ought to be out in front of every Utahn, clarifying the message and urging compliance with the state’s established guidelines. Instead, it’s been absent. In the middle of this pandemic, Americans and Utahns want leaders to communicate with them in a way that promotes confidence and provides certainty." - "Utahns need a ‘certain trumpet’ to lead them through COVID-19," June 24, 2020.

  • Deseret News Editorial Board (Deseret News): "The state’s economy simply cannot remain shut down indefinitely. But it must develop a strategy that adequately impresses on people the seriousness of the current situation, and that convinces them to take precautions. It also must find a reasonable way to reimpose restraints on certain parts of the state when flareups are detected." - "Moving Utah to ‘smart green’ would send confusing mixed signals," June 5, 2020.

  • Utah Governor Gary Herbert (R) (ABC4): "We see that we’ve done good things. We’ve worked hard together, and we see the fruits of our labor as we move forward. So, we can have confidence in the communities that we live in throughout this state that they are all respectively doing the right things. We are now well prepared to test, trace and track those who have the COVID19 virus, and we can be ready to target any potential outbreaks that may occur in the future. We’re now ready to respond to any sort of surge like that. So, that should give us some hope and confidence going forward too." - "Some Utah businesses cleared to reopen at midnight," April 30, 2020.

  • State Epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn (KSL.com): "There are a lot of restrictions that are placed on businesses opening to ensure social distancing and ensure prevention of COVID-19 spread. I think that’s the right way to do it — this kind of slow rollout of opening up businesses while continuing to monitor for disease. The goal is to go from red to orange and continue loosening up restrictions because we’re seeing a better control of COVID-19 here in Utah; however it is good to know we do have those triggers that will alert us that maybe we moved too soon and we need to increase the restrictions back." - "Why is Utah looking to reopen when we have not shown any decrease in cases?," April 28, 2020.


Debate over economic impacts of coronavirus in Utah

See also: Debate over economic impacts during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on economic impacts in Utah.

  • Moe Hickey, chief executive officer for Voices for Utah Children (Park City Record): As Utah legislature contemplates budget cuts due to Covid-19, it's critical to preserve kids' access to child care, health care, education, mental health, and anti-poverty programs.

    "There are currently budgets being discussed that would dramatically cut funding for many critical programs. Now is the time to use the 'rainy day fund' and to provide the necessary resources to ensure the safety and future of our children. Please contact your legislators and let them know that you appreciate the difficult task they are facing, but that cutting funding for services affecting children is not something you support." - "The pandemic will affect Utah’s children. Now’s the time to stand up for them.," June 19, 2020.

  • Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman (R) (Salt Lake Tribune): Huntsman said the state made "serious miscalculations when it comes to protecting our economy.”

    "It is unconscionable to sit on a Rainy Day Fund of nearly $1 billion in taxpayer money while businesses are gasping for air. The state should work with local banks to encourage them to offer interest-free loans and we should deploy $300 million of that Rainy Day Fund in a similar way to help businesses survive. Doing so would make a big difference but the window for that to be effective is closing rapidly." - "Most Republican candidates for Utah governor oppose a statewide stay-at-home order," April 10, 2020.

  • Former House Speaker Greg Hughes (R) (Salt Lake Tribune): "I don’t think it would be responsible to look at rainy day funds in the climate we’re in now. [Using that money] to inject capital into the economy right now will leave us with even greater challenges going forward in this coming fiscal year." - "Most Republican candidates for Utah governor oppose a statewide stay-at-home order," April 10, 2020.


Debate over school closures in Utah

See also: Debate over school closures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on school closures in Utah.

  • Utah Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox (Twitter): "We’ve even seen it here in Utah as one asymptomatic worker infected several residents of a nursing home. When the story of Utah’s response is written, I believe the closure of schools and (especially) churches is the single biggest reason our numbers haven’t exploded." - "@SpencerJCox on Twitter," April 15, 2020.


Debate over religious service restrictions in Utah

See also: Debate over religious service restrictions during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on religious service restrictions in Utah.

  • Utah Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox (Twitter): "We’ve even seen it here in Utah as one asymptomatic worker infected several residents of a nursing home. When the story of Utah’s response is written, I believe the closure of schools and (especially) churches is the single biggest reason our numbers haven’t exploded." - "@SpencerJCox on Twitter," April 15, 2020.


Debate over election policy in Utah

See also: Debate over election policies and procedures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on election policies in Utah.

  • Utah Elections Director Justin Lee (Fox 13 Now): "We're going to have to modify the in-person voting requirements, the dates by which the ballots must be mailed in. We've got to make sure the county clerks and all the election staff has the personal protective equipment to be safe as they open up all these ballots. With signature gathering packets, we're sitting on them for a day or two before they get processed. Ballots may need to be sat on a table for — we'll talk to the experts for the amount of time it needs to be." - "How Utah's upcoming elections may be affected by coronavirus pandemic," April 12, 2020.


Debate over state laws and legislation in Utah

See also: Debate over state laws and legislation during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on state laws and legislation in Utah.

House Majority Leader Francis Gibson (R) and Senate Majority Leader Evan Vickers (R) sponsored Utah House Bill 3005, titled the Pandemic Response and Consultation Act, which was designed to require the governor to consult with legislators before issuing a state of emergency or executive orders in response to an epidemic or pandemic. The bill was also designed to allow the legislature to terminate certain executive actions during a state of emergency.


Debate over public health policy in Utah

See also: Debate over public health policies during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on public health policies in Utah.

  • Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board (Salt Lake Tribune): "The state’s moves to reopen its economy feel unnecessarily risky when based on a testing regime that isn’t trusted by those best in a position to know. It is easy to point fingers at various entities, in and out of government, up and down the chain of command. But this lack of faith in Utah’s coronavirus response efforts is properly fixed at the very top of state government." - "Public health failures are the fault of public officials," June 10, 2020.

  • James Czerniawski (Libertas Institute): "Earlier this week, Governor Herbert followed this trend by issuing an executive order that suspended sections of state statute that make it difficult for healthcare providers to provide telehealth care to their patients. This executive order allows medical providers to offer a telehealth service that does not comply with the security and privacy standards required by law. ... The deregulatory effort can empower medical providers to service more people effectively without compromising quality. In doing so, it offers an opportunity for the state and stakeholders to see what regulations currently on the books may be unnecessary, and adjust the law accordingly in the future to ensure that as many Utahns get access to health services as efficiently as possible." - "Governor Herbert Signs Market-Friendly Executive Order," March 27, 2020.


Debate over firearm businesses in Utah

See also: Debate over firearm businesses during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on firearm businesses in Utah.

  • Allison Anderman, senior counsel at Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence (Salt Lake Tribune): Allison Anderman, senior counsel at Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said that school closures and stay-at-home orders could make having guns in a home more dangerous.

    "It does concern us because what people are doing is acting on this kind of emotional reasoning, which is ‘I think I feel safer with a gun; therefore, I am safer with a gun. But unfortunately, it’s really the opposite that’s true. ... all the available data and all the research show that the opposite is true, that if you have a gun in the home, you are much, much more likely to be shot and killed with that gun. ... When abusers have access to a gun, women are significantly more likely to be killed with that gun." - "Utah gun sales spike amid coronavirus scare," March 25, 2020.

  • Jacob Pratt of Handgun Haven in West Valley City (Salt Lake Tribune): "We have seen an unprecedented surge in first-time buyers. A few have been mentioning coronavirus and/or the chain of quakes we were hit with." - "Utah gun sales spike amid coronavirus scare," March 25, 2020.

  • Dave Larsen, store manager of Doug’s Shoot N Sports in Taylorsville (Salt Lake Tribune): "I think people are a little scared and they realize, you know, maybe they should have something around the house? You know, if things get really bad, it's prudent to have a fire extinguisher and it's prudent to have a gun, even if you never plan on using either one." - "Utah gun sales spike amid coronavirus scare," March 25, 2020.


Responses to the coronavirus in Utah

See also: Government responses to and political effects of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 (Utah)

Click the links below for more on responses to the coronavirus pandemic in Utah.

General resources

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.


See also

Footnotes

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Political responses to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020-2021
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