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PM News Brief: TRAX Reduces Service, Second COVID-19 Death & Jazz Cleared

Photo of a sign explaining UTA restrictions
Brian Albers
/
KUER
The Utah Transit Authority is temporarily reducing service, starting April 5.

Friday evening, March 27, 2020

STATE

Utah Sees Second COVID-19 Death

Two people in Utah have now died from COVID-19. The state Department of Health announced Friday the southwest Utah woman was older but not yet 60 and had significant underlying health issues. State epidemiologist Angela Dunn said of the 9,200 people who have been tested only 5% have the virus. Dunn said the increase in daily cases continues to be steady and there have now been a total of 480 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Utah. — Jessica Lowell

Follow KUER’s coverage of the coronavirus in Utah.

All Clear For The Utah Jazz

All staff and players with the Utah Jazz have been cleared of coronavirus and of posing any risk to others by the Utah Department of Health. Friday’s announcement comes a little over two weeks after Jazz players Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell tested positive for COVID-19. All members with the team were eventually tested, but there were no other positive cases. The NBA suspended its season indefinitely after Gobert’s revelation and has yet to announce if and when it would resume games. — Grace Osusky

NORTHERN UTAH

Utah Transit Authority Reduces Service

Starting April 5, the Utah Transit Authority will temporarily reduce service. The announcement by the UTA Friday cites a major decrease in ridership, lower fares and an expected drop in sales tax revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic. Buses, TRAX and FrontRunner will all still run, but they will have fewer trips with longer wait times between pickups and departures. The TRAX will leave every 30 minutes and on weekdays FrontRunner will depart every 60 minutes. — Jessica Lowell

Salt Lake City Issues Stay At Home Order

Salt Lake City is ordering its residents to stay at home, except for essential travel, in order to slow the spread of coronavirus. Essential travel includes things like going to the grocery store and seeking medical care. The order goes into effect on Friday at midnight. The announcement came just after Gov. Gary Herbert issued a “stay safe, stay home” directive, which does not have an enforcement mechanism like Salt Lake City’s proclamation. Violating the city’s order can result in a class B misdemeanor, but Mayor Erin Mendenhall says enforcement will be limited. Read KUER's Full story. — Sonja Hutson

SOUTHERN UTAH

San Juan County Attempts To Curb Tourism

San Juan County’s health department announced new measures Friday to curb tourism. The move came just minutes after the county announced its first confirmed case of COVID-19. The order lets local law enforcement kick people out of campgrounds and RV parks if they aren’t San Juan County residents. The decision is meant to ensure San Juan County’s medical resources go to its own residents. And while the order doesn’t apply to hotels, county officials are asking all tourists to avoid San Juan County. County residents can still hike and camp locally, as long as they observe social distancing guidelines. Read KUER’s full story. — Kate Groetzinger, Bluff

REGION

Mountain West Looks At Increasing Wind Power

The Mountain West may be catching up when it comes to large scale wind energy projects. A proposed wind farm in Idaho could become one of the largest in the nation and could be on line as soon as 2022. But it’s taken some other major wind projects in the region much longer than that, including an even larger proposed wind farm in South Central Wyoming that could take a full two decades from start to finish. — Madelyn Beck, Mountain West News Bureau

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