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

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Responses by state

Ballotpedia’s coverage of COVID-19 includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and how those responses are influencing election rules and operations, political campaigns, the economy, schools, and more.

This article contains coverage of eight kinds of state government responses to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. The article tracks developments in these areas that took place between the start of the pandemic in March 2020 through Dec. 4, 2020. The government responses covered here include:

Additionally, the article includes:

To view current coverage areas, including mask requirements, school responses, travel restrictions, and much more, click a state in the map below.

Documenting_STATE%27s_path_to_recovery_from_the_coronavirus_(COVID-19)_pandemic,_2020-2021


Changes to election dates and procedures, March 16 through November 19

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

General election changes

Utah modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

  • Absentee/mail-in voting: The third-party collection and return of absentee ballots was restricted to individuals residing in the same household as the voter.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Primary election changes

Utah modified its primary election process as follows:

  • Candidate filing procedures: Candidate and campaigns were allowed to deliver petition sheets to voters electronically. Voters were allowed to return signed petition sheets electronically or by mail.
  • Voting procedures: In-person Election Day voting, in-person early voting, and in-person voter registration in the primary election were cancelled.
  • Political party events: The Democratic Party of Utah canceled both its caucuses and its state convention. The Republican Party of Utah postponed caucuses and canceled its in-person state convention.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Click the gray bar below for more detailed information.


Statewide stay-at-home order, March 23 through December 4

See also: States with lockdown and stay-at-home orders in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

As of April 7, 2020, Utah had not issued a statewide stay-at-home order.

Executive orders, March 30 through June 29

See also: Executive orders issued by governors and state agencies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020


Court closures, March 17 through November 4

See also: State court closures in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
  • May 11, 2020: The Utah Supreme Court extended restrictions on in-person proceedings and suspension of jury trials until further notice. The court further directed that all hearings, with an exception for urgent matters, should be conducted “on the papers”, per the order, or remotely.[9]
  • March 13, 2020: Utah Supreme Court Chief Justice Matthew Durrant ordered judges across the state to make plans to cancel nonessential court hearings.[10]

Legislative session changes, March 20 through October 1

See also: Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

The Utah State Legislature adjourned on March 12, 2020. Special sessions were convened on April 16, 2020, April 23, 2020, and June 18, 2020. The legislature adjourned on June 20, 2020. A special session convened on August 20, 2020, and adjourned later that same day.[11][12]

Proposed and enacted legislation, March 25 through August 19

See also: State laws in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

See below for a complete list of bills related to the coronavirus pandemic in Utah. To learn more about a particular bill, click its title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Rent, mortgage, eviction, and foreclosure policies, April 9 through November 24

See also: Changes to rent, mortgage, eviction, and foreclosure policies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020


  • May 15, 2020: Evictions resumed in the state on May 15.[13]
  • April 1, 2020: Gov. Gary Herbert (R) issued an executive order which allowed tenants to defer rent payments until May 15. In addition, landlords were prohibited from starting the eviction process until May 15. [14]


Prison inmate release responses, March 30 through July 1

See also: State and local governments that released prison inmates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

State responses

  • March 26, 2020: The Utah Department of Corrections announced that they would release at least 80 inmates amid the pandemic.[15]

Local responses

  • March 20, 2020: Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced that officials planned to release 90 inmates amid the pandemic, with the plan to release more in the future in an effort to free up between 150 to 200 beds.[16]


Debate in Utah over responses to the coronavirus

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

Ballotpedia is covering the debate over continuing restrictions and closures in Utah in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Click on the links below to read more about these debates.

Status of industries, May 15 through July 31

Between May 15 and July 31, we conducted detailed tracking of industries and activities in each state daily.

  • "Yes" means an activity was allowed or an industry was permitted to open. "No" means an activity was not allowed or an industry was not permitted to reopen.
  • Some rules were applied regionally rather than statewide. Each cell shows the loosest restriction in place at the time, or the broadest level of an activity permitted in the state, even if that activity was only permitted regionally. Where applicable, we indicated that an activity was only permitted regionally, and provided details in a cell note. For example, if gyms were permitted to open in half of a state, the spreadsheet would say "Yes (regionally)," and differences between the regions would be explained in a note.
  • A lack of detail in a note or parentheses does not necessarily mean that an activity or industry was "back to normal." We did our best to capture caveats, exceptions, and modifications to activities. We acknowledge, though, that states put forth a large number of requirements for many industries and activities.


Initial reopening plan from March and April 2020 closures

Utah released an initial reopening plan from March and April 2020 closures on March 24, 2020. An analysis of this plan appeared in our Documenting America's Path to Recovery newsletter on June 23. The sections below include an analysis of the plan, the details of the plan, and reactions from officials to the plan.

Summary from Documenting America's Path to Recovery

See also: Documenting America's Path to Recovery: June 23, 2020

On March 24, Gov. Gary Herbert (R) released the first version of “Utah Leads Together.” The first phase of the plan called for aggressive social distancing to reduce the person-to-person transmission rate to 1 to 1 within 30 days. On March 27, Herbert issued a “Stay Safe, Stay Home” directive requesting that all Utahns practice social distancing and stay home whenever possible. The directive was not a stay-at-home or shelter-in-place order. Herbert also issued several statewide directives and orders that placed restrictions on individuals and businesses.

On April 17, Herbert released “Utah Leads Together 2.0,” which clarified the stages of reopening first laid out in version 1.0. The plan instituted a color-coded health guidance system to move the state through different reopening phases.

Herbert released “Utah Leads Together 3.0” on May 20, focused on the state’s high-risk populations and multi-cultural communities. He released “Utah Leads Together 4.0” on June 17, which provides a plan for economic recovery over the next 100, 250, and 500 days.

Context

  • Although Gov. Herbert did not issue a stay-at-home order, he did issue a “Stay Safe, Stay Home” directive on March 27 that urged Utahns to stay home whenever possible and socially distance. On April 10, Herbert extended the directive through May 1.
  • As of June 23, Utah had 17,906 positive COVID-19 cases and 158 deaths. Utah’s population was an estimated 3,205,958 as of July 2019. For every 100,000 residents, Utah had 558.6 cases and 4.9 deaths.
  • Utah is a Republican trifecta. Republicans control the governor’s office and hold majorities in the House and Senate.

Plan details

When it was released on March 24, “Utah Leads Together 1.0” had three phases of recovery—an urgent phase, a stabilization phase, and a recovery phase. The urgent phase was estimated to last for 8-12 weeks. The stabilization phase was estimated to last between 10-14 weeks. The recovery phase was estimated to last 8-10 weeks.

“Utah Leads Together 2.0,” released on April 17, introduced a color-coded reopening. Each phase’s color corresponds to a level of risk. Each phase also gradually eased restrictions. The guidance system started at red (high risk), and then moved to orange (moderate risk), yellow (low risk), and ended at green (new normal).

As of June 23, only Salt Lake City remains in the orange phase of reopening. Nineteen counties have advanced to the yellow phase, and 10 counties have advanced to the green phase.

Red phase
On April 17, all of Utah was in the red phase (high risk), the most restrictive phase of the reopening plan. Gatherings were limited to 10 people or less, and out-of-state travelers were required to fill out a travel declaration upon entering the state. High-risk individuals, which the state defines as people over the age 65, people living in long-term care facilities, and people with certain underlying medical conditions, were subject to different guidelines developed by the Utah Department of Health through all phases of reopening.

On April 17, most Utah state parks reopened. On April 21, Herbert issued a public health order allowing some elective medical procedures to resume.

Orange phase
On April 29, Herbert signed an order moving Utah from the red phase to the orange phase of reopening effective May 1, instituting the first broad change in the restrictions imposed in March.

The move to orange eased a number of restrictions on businesses and individuals. The following businesses were allowed to reopen with restrictions:

  • Indoor dining at restaurants
    • Restrictions include face coverings for employees, frequent handwashing and use of disinfectant, and six feet of distance between tables or workstations
  • Gyms
    • Staff must disinfect equipment after each use
  • Personal services (barbers, nail salons, massage therapists, etc)
    • Symptom-checking all staff, appointments only, 6 feet of distanced maintained in waiting areas and whenever services aren’t being directly provided
  • Gatherings limited to 20 people or less

Yellow phase
On May 16, Herbert issued an order moving much of Utah to the yellow phase, further easing restrictions. Some cities and counties with high rates of coronavirus cases were required to remain in the orange phase, including Salt Lake City. Under the yellow phase, all businesses were allowed to reopen if they followed industry-specific guidelines, and gatherings of up to 50 people were permitted. Herbert wrote on Twitter that, under the yellow phase, “there are no economic activities that are categorically prohibited if common-sense precautions are in place.”

Although the guidelines under the yellow phase varied by industry, they generally required social distancing when feasible, symptom-checking employees, and face coverings for employees.

On May 21, Herbert signed an order moving Summit and Wasatch countries from orange to yellow. On May 22, Herbert moved the municipalities of Bluff and Mexican Hat from yellow to orange, reflecting a growing health risk in the surrounding area. On May 29, more counties were moved into the yellow phase.

Green phase

On June 12, Kane County became the first area in Utah to advance to the green phase. According to the overview of guidelines for the general public:

  • General public follows current federal and local public health precautions
  • Use of face coverings in businesses and social settings is encouraged when physical distancing is not feasible
  • All businesses are operating and encouraged to follow General Guidelines for Employers

On June 17, Herbert released “Utah Leads Together 4.0,” which builds on the previous three plans and provides a blueprint for economic recovery over the next 100, 250, and 500 days. The plan calls for Utahns to do three things:

  • Follow public health guidelines
  • Stay engaged with the economy
  • Assist those in need

According to the plan, Utah remains in the stabilization phase of the three-phase recovery plan first outlined in “Utah Leads 1.0.” However, the plan says Utah is nearing the recovery phase, which is a return to stability and positive growth.

In the 100-day horizon, the plan focuses on returning furloughed or inactive employees to work, connecting unemployed Utahs with jobs, and using CARES Act funding and other sources of stimulus to jumpstart economic recovery. In the 250-day horizon, the plan focuses on investment and productivity, including infrastructure and construction-ready projects. The 500-day horizon looks ahead at where the world economy is going and investigates steps necessary to ensure prosperity for Utah over the next 5,000 days.

Coronavirus resources

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

State resources

Twitter feeds for government officials and agencies appear below.

Federal resources

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Utah State Legislature, "SB6007," accessed September 2, 2020
  2. ↑ Utah State Legislature, "H.B. 3006 Election Amendments," accessed April 27, 2020
  3. ↑ Vote.Utah.gov, "COVID-19 Information," accessed April 27, 2020
  4. ↑ Office of the Governor of Utah, "Executive Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Utah Election Code Regarding Signature Gathering," March 26, 2020
  5. ↑ Utah Democratic Party, "UDP Update on Caucus & Conventions," accessed March 15, 2020
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  7. ↑ Twitter, "Utah Democratic Party," March 13, 2020
  8. ↑ Utah Republican Party, "2020 Caucus Night," accessed March 17, 2020
  9. ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Coronavirus and the Courts," May 12, 2020
  10. ↑ KSL, "Utah court cases to be pushed back amid coronavirus concerns," March 14, 2020
  11. ↑ Multistate, "2020 Legislative Session Dates," last updated April 16, 2020
  12. ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah Legislature calls historic special session to address coronavirus impacts," April 13, 2020
  13. ↑ NOLO, "Emergency Bans on Evictions and Other Tenant Protections Related to Coronavirus," accessed June 22, 2020
  14. ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Live coronavirus updates for Wednesday, April 1: Utah Gov. Gary Herbert extends order against dining in at restaurants; Park City Mountain Resort to furlough 391 staffers," April 1, 2020
  15. ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah prison officials plan to release at least 80 inmates early in response to coronavirus," March 26, 2020
  16. ↑ [ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Hundreds of Utah inmates will soon be released in response to coronavirus," March 20, 2020]
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