In March 2020, the first COVID-19 cases were reported in Utah. A year later, KUER politics reporter Sonja Hutson helped break down how the pandemic affected Utah’s political landscape.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert leaves office in early January, after serving more than 11 years in the state’s highest executive office. Herbert is currently the longest-serving governor in the country — and the second-longest in the state’s history.
In his last monthly news conference Thursday, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert reflected on the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic as well as how he has conducted himself in office.
Teachers and school staff have been bumped up on Utah’s priority list to get a COVID-19 vaccination. Starting Friday, some Utahns will be asked to complete contact tracing online rather than over the phone.
Maskless protesters marched around St. George Wednesday, calling for an end to the governor’s latest public health orders. Many are concerned the statewide mask mandate, as well as the state’s other public health orders, are government overreach.
New statewide restrictions require colleges and universities to test students and staff weekly starting in January. They also suspend extracurricular activities for public K-12 students, though allow intercollegiate sports, high school teams competing for championships and athletic events run by private companies to continue if health guidelines are enforced.