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Earlier this month, I got a tour of the state’s PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) warehouse.
Gloves, masks, face shields, sanitizer, etc has been purchased or donated by generous local companies and even other countries.
Having the proper supplies is essential for public safety and getting people back to work!
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Unemployment
Unemployment insurance claims dropped 12% from the previous week to 6,275 claims. While it is a 12% decrease from the previous week, it is still a 455% increase from the average weekly claims seen in 2019. More than $26.8 million paid in state benefits. More than $48.6 million paid in federal dollars from the CARES Act $600 weekly stimulus. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims had an additional 2,604 individuals filed and more than $5.6 million paid in federal dollars last week for PUA benefits.
The fifth and final CARES act program is now available for Utahns. The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation Program (PEUC) allows eligible individuals who have exhausted their benefits to receive up to 13 weeks of additional unemployment benefits. To be eligible, you must have been receiving unemployment benefits, but reached your maximum eligible weeks, but are still unemployed. If you think you qualify, or to learn more, please visit https://jobs.utah.gov/covid19.
Moving to Yellow
Governor Herbert has announced that most of the state has moved to the yellow phase of the coronavirus recovery play. It is important that we each continue following health guidelines during the yellow phase. Our efforts will allow us to keep moving forward as we begin returning to normal. Groups of 50 or fewer are now allowed to meet, if following proper social distancing guidelines. Additionally, team sports can resume under new restrictions and pools are allowed to open. A PDF is attached to this email with more information on the yellow phase and what it means.
Utah is not taking a “one size fits all” approach when moving across different phases. Guidelines and restrictions vary by region and county. For example, while most of Utah moved to yellow last week, West Valley City and Salt Lake City remain in the orange phase. To learn more and find out what the guidelines are where you live, please click here.
Under the yellow phase, it is recommended that businesses allow flexibility for their employees to work from home, or provide accommodations, especially for those that are high risk. When returning to work, proper social distancing guidelines should be followed and employees should wear a mask to protect themselves and those around them. For more details, click here.
High Risk Individuals
70% of those who have passed away from COVID-19 were 65 years or older. Additionally 90%+ of those who have passed away were 65 years or older or had an underlying medical condition. Dr. Michael Good from University of Utah Health stated, “Coronavirus is a bully. It finds and attacks at-risk individuals. It finds and attacks older members of our community. It finds and attacks those who have other medical conditions.” High risk individuals include anyone over the age of 65, people who live in a nursing home or long-term facility, people with chronic lung disease or moderate-to-severe asthma, people with severe heart conditions, and people who are immunocompromised, obese, or have other underlying health conditions.
It is essential that these high risk individuals continue to follow the 9 guidelines issued by the Department of Health.
- Wear face masks at all times in public settings.
- Stay home as much as possible. If you must go into public settings, stay at least 6 feet from others.
- Wash hands often.
- Limit travel to only essential travel. If telework is not possible, limit travel to work-related travel only.
- Continue to seek emergency care, routine doctor visits, and medication pickups.
- Limit visiting friends or family without urgent need.
- Limit physical interactions with other high-risk individuals, except for members of your household or residence.
- Limit attending gatherings of any number of people outside your household or residence.
- Do not visit others in hospitals, nursing homes, or other residential care facilities
Antibody Tests
Healthcare researchers have been carefully studying COVID-19 antibodies. This week, four Utah cities (Bluffdale, Riverton, Draper, and Vineyard) began providing antibody tests to their residents. If you are interested in receiving a test for antibodies, contact your healthcare provider. They can provide more information on both accessibility and cost of the tests.
For up-to-date information, please visit https://coronavirus.utah.gov/ or follow @UtahCoronavirus on Twitter.
Public Comment for Upcoming Electronic Committee Meetings
Due to meeting restrictions and safety precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Utah State Legislature is temporarily holding all meetings electronically, and therefore, public comment will be taken remotely. To provide the smoothest online service and ensure cyber security, the guidelines to provide comments can be found at: https://le.utah.gov/Documents/RemotePublicCommentGuidelines.pdf
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