Summit County, Utah (May 14, 2020) — On Thursday, May 14, Summit County Council adopted Joint Public Health Order 2020-06, leaving Summit County at the Moderate or \”Orange\” Risk Level as other parts of Utah move to the “Yellow” Risk Level. This Order will be reviewed in one week by the Governor\’s Office.

“The data we have seen over the past two weeks is encouraging,” Summit County Deputy Health Director Dr. Phil Bondurant said. “Our strategy for remaining at the Moderate Risk Level is to fully understand the results of lifting the Stay At Home Order and gather information that will guide our response as we move into the summer months. We are actively working with other Moderate Risk Level areas such as Wasatch County and Salt Lake City to understand the transmission of COVID-19 among our shared workforces.”

Joint Public Health Order 2020-06 simplifies Order 2020-05, reducing the document to 16 pages from 54. It is aligned with the Governor\’s Moderate Risk Level Order, aside from 4 areas deemed to be at increased risk in Summit County: Indoor Recreation, Arts & Entertainment, Lodging and Restaurants.

“Our collaboration with the Governor’s Office to remain at the Moderate Risk Level provides critical time to truly evaluate the impact of moving from High to Moderate Risk,” Summit County Council Chair Doug Clyde said. “We are a global tourism destination and our workforce is closely linked to Salt Lake City and Wasatch County. These unique factors call for a different response than many other areas of the state. We have made tremendous progress against COVID-19 due to the actions of our residents and the response of our local healthcare system. Our goal is to preserve that progress as we move forward.”

Factors influencing this decision include:

  • Providing critical time to truly evaluate the impacts of moving from High Risk to Moderate Risk.
  • Wasatch County and Salt Lake City, two areas where Summit County residents and workforce commute to and from, also remain at the Moderate Risk Level.
  • Travelers and tourists visiting Summit County continue to be a potential transmission risk.
  • Summit County has the second-highest positive rate per 100K population in Utah and an R0* (r-naught) below 1 that appears to be increasing.

*R0 is a metric that defines how contagious a virus is. R0 predicts the average number of individuals who will catch COVID-19 from one infected person. For example, if the R0 was 2, then one person with COVID-19 would likely spread the virus to two individuals.

In the Order, public and private gatherings remain limited to no more than 20 people, with certain exemptions for emergency response, grocery stores, gas stations and other essential industries. All hot tubs, spas, saunas, steam rooms, locker rooms, bike share, dog parks, and leisure swimming pools will remain closed to members, guests, patrons, and the general public.

Businesses, employees and members of the general public who have questions or concerns about the current Order are encouraged to call the Summit County Community Concerns Line (staffed Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.) at 435-333-0050.

The Order can be viewed in its entirety at https://www.summitcounty.org/DocumentCenter/View/10982/Joint-Public-Health-Order-2020-06-ORANGE-Phase. For current information on Summit County’s COVID-19 outlook, visit https://health.summitcounty.org/coronavirus/. At this website, the public can also find Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and community resources that are updated regularly as the pandemic situation evolves.