Monday evening, March 23, 2020
STATE
Utah’s Public Schools Closed Until May
Utah’s public schools will be dismissed through May 1. Gov. Gary Herbert and state education officials made the announcement Monday. The state’s technical colleges will also suspend teaching starting March 30 through the first of May. Herbert said they will continue to monitor the situation to make a decision about the remainder of the school year. Meals will continue to be provided on an as-needed basis. — Ross Terrell
COVID-19 Cases Continue To Increase
As of Monday afternoon, there were 257 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Utah. So far, more than 5,000 people have been tested for the virus. The state has the capacity to screen 1,500 people a day, but the department says they are aiming to double that number by the end of the week. Health officials said about 10% of cases in the state are hospitalized. There has only been one COVID-19 related death in Utah. — Jessica Lowell
Follow KUER’s coverage on COVID-19 here.
NORTHERN UTAH
Salt Lake City Schools Change Meal Pickup Schedule
As of Monday, grab and go meals services for Salt Lake City schools will happen once a day. From 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m students will be able to pick up a sack lunch to eat then, and a breakfast to refrigerate for the next morning. The change was made so that families would only have to make one trip to pick up meals. Meals are provided for free with no free or reduced lunch enrollment required. — Caroline Ballard
LDS Missionaries Return Home To Large Gathering
On Sunday hundreds of Utahns gathered at the Salt Lake City airport to welcome Latter-day Saint missionaries returning home. It was a scene that clearly violated the state’s quarantine recommendations amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said the gathering was not O.K. and unsafe for the missionaries and their families. Nearly 1,000 Latter-day Saint missionaries returned home from the Philippines. The Church and the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office released a statement saying that in the coming days and weeks — airport security will be monitoring adherence to the guidelines. — Lee Hale
REGION
Sports Betting Put On Hold By Coronavirus Outbreak
The COVID-19 pandemic is now threatening the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics following a number of high-profile sporting events that have been postponed or canceled. These cancellations have some sports books in our region looking for alternative things to bet on — like the presidential election. The vice president in charge of the world’s largest sports book, the Westgate Resorts Superbook in Las Vegas, said the election could bring in 10 times more money than the Super Bowl.— Noah Glick, Mountain West News Bureau