Coronavirus updates: Grocery stores offer hours for senior shoppers

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SALT LAKE CITY — Here are the latest coronavirus-related updates from Utah and around the world.

As the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the nation and in Utah, health experts and government officials are advising individuals to participate in social distancing.

On Monday, the White House urged Americans not to gather in groups of 10 or more.

If you're on a mobile device and can't see the updates below, click on this link.

Tuesday, 07:03pm

Macey’s, Dan’s, Lin’s, Dick’s Market and Fresh Market offer hours for seniors

All Macey’s, Dan’s, Lin’s, Dick’s Market and Fresh Market stores are now offering one hour of shopping time, prior to when the store opens, for those over the age of 60. "As a local grocer, we care about our community and want to protect our elderly, those who are most at risk when shopping our stores," a spokesperson for Associated Retail Operations, which own the stores, said in a statement.

Tuesday, 06:39pm

Utah bans all dine-in services statewide at restaurants, bars for 2 weeks amid COVID-19 pandemic

The state of Utah issued an order on Tuesday that banned all dine-in options at restaurants, bars and food establishments statewide for two weeks, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Curbside, drive-thru, delivery and pick up options are still allowed at food establishments across the state, Gov. Gary Herbert said. The order begins on Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. Read the full story here.

Tuesday, 05:40pm

BYU-Idaho student tests positive for COVID-19

A Brigham Young University-Idaho student tested positive for COVID-19, officials announced on Tuesday. The student is a man in his 20s and is the first case in Madison County, Idaho. Anyone at risk for exposure will hear directly from Eastern Idaho Public Health, officials said.

Tuesday, 04:09pm

Trump administration open to Romney idea to send Americans cash to get through pandemic

The Trump administration likes the idea of immediately sending Americans money to help them get through the coronavirus pandemic as Sen. Mitt Romney proposed Monday. Read the full story here.

Tuesday, 04:07pm

Deseret Industries to temporarily close to the public

Deseret Industries stores will temporarily close to the public as COVID-19 continues to spread, according to a Tuesday announcement from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Read the full story here.

Tuesday, 04:04pm

UTA makes changes to some services amid COVID-19 spread

Utah Transit Authority is suspending or limiting nearly a dozen bus routes, but will continue to run many other bus routes, as well as TRAX and FrontRunner service amid COVID-19 concerns, officials said Tuesday. Read the full story here.

Tuesday, 03:46pm

NBA star Kevin Durant reportedly tests positive for the coronavirus

NBA star Kevin Durant, who plays for the Brooklyn Nets, has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to The Athletic reporter Shams Charania. The Nets announced earlier Tuesday that four members of their team had tested positive. Other NBA players who have tested positive for the disease include Utah Jazz stars Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, as well as Detroit Pistons forward Christian Wood.

Kevin Durant tested positive for coronavirus, Durant tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. Durant says he is feeling fine: "Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. We're going to get through this."
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 17, 2020

Tuesday, 03:42pm

3 states hold primaries as coronavirus fears grip nation

The new coronavirus kept some voters and poll workers at home and hampered efforts to open some polling sites on Tuesday as three states held Democratic presidential primary contests amid a global pandemic. Leaders in Ohio called off their primary just hours before polls were set to open as the federal government urged Americans not to gather in groups of 10 or more and asked older people to stay home. The state’s Democratic Party said it was weighing options for challenging that move, which was pushed by the Republican governor.

Tuesday, 03:41pm

Trump’s economic aid could approach $1T, senators say

President Donald Trump is asking Congress to unleash a torrent of emergency economic aid — including direct checks to Americans — in an extraordinary effort to shore up households and the economy in the coronavirus crisis. As part of a proposed economic rescue not seen since the Great Recession in 2008, Trump wants checks sent to the public within two weeks as part of a package that officials said could approach a cost of $1 trillion.

Tuesday, 03:39pm

Utah State University students encouraged to return home for semester

Students who live on-campus at Utah State University have been encouraged to go home. The request came just days after officials announced classes will move online, much like other colleges statewide.

Tuesday, 03:38pm

The food supply is fine, retailers assure anxious Utahns

Even though some grocery shelves are bare, the food supply is fine, Utah suppliers want residents to know. Darin Peirce, vice-president of operations for Associated Retail Operations, said shipments come in every day, and the most needed or requested items get stocked as quickly as possible. But until consumers go back to normal buying habits, there are going to be some bare spots on store shelves each day.

Tuesday, 03:38pm

Utah Food Bank mobile pantry overwhelmed with people picking up supplies

Nearly 1,300 people lined up to grab a bag of canned goods for their family at a Utah Food Bank mobile food pantry Monday. Just six weeks ago, the Utah Food Bank started this weekly pick-up location. “The first time we did it it was like 60 families,” organizer Jake Buhler said. “Then it went to 80 families, it went to 100 families, 120, and then today it went to over a thousand.” Buhler said the amount of the food items handed out depended on the size of each family. He said after Monday’s turnout, the Utah Food Bank would reevaluate to make sure they have even more supplies for next week.

Tuesday, 03:21pm

U.S. offering low-interest loans for small businesses

The U.S. is now offering low-interest loans for small businesses to help with losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. Business owners impacted can visit sba.gov/disaster or coronavirus.utah.gov/business for more information.

Good news for Utah business owners impacted by COVID-19 — loans are now available to help you. Visit https://t.co/7JY8lJKHfv and https://t.co/IKT96tOrdM to learn more.
— Gov. Gary Herbert (@GovHerbert) March 17, 2020

Tuesday, 02:58pm

Utah County announces state's 52nd COVID-19 case in county resident

The Utah County Health District also announced its first COVID-19 case in a resident of the county on Tuesday, according to a press release. The county now has one case in a resident and one case in a nonresident. The Utah County case marks Utah's 52nd case of the disease, including residents and visitors. The resident diagnosed with COVID-19 in Utah County is a male over the age of 18 and has not been hospitalized, the release said. Officials believe his positive test is the result of local transmission in the community, according to the release.

Tuesday, 02:56pm

Southeast Utah limiting businesses, including hotels and restaurants, to limit coronavirus spread

Following suit of Summit and Salt Lake counties, the Southeast Utah Health District, which includes Carbon, Emery and Grand counties, will shut down dine-in service at restaurants in the region, as well as most hotel services. The health order mandating the change goes into effect at 10 p.m. Tuesday. Curbside and delivery services will still be permitted for restaurants, but workers will need to observe strict cleaning measures and refrain from exchanging cash, if possible, the order states. Third-party delivery services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats will be required to utilize “no-contact” deliveries only. All overnight and short-term hotels and lodging facilities will be permitted to check in essential visitors and primary residents only, the order states. For more information, visit seuhealth.com.

Tuesday, 02:18pm

TSA to allow some with expired licenses through airport lines

Transportation Security Administration officials said Tuesday that they will allow some travelers through airport security lines with expired driver's licenses amid COVID-19 concerns. Those with licenses that expired March 1 or after that date and haven't been able to renew their state driver's licenses will still be allowed through TSA lines, the agency states on its website. "TSA will accept expired driver’s licenses a year after the expiration date, plus 60 days after the duration of the COVID-19 national emergency," the update says.

TSA will allow those with driver’s licenses that expired beginning March 1, and who are not able to renew their license, to use it as acceptable ID at checkpoints for 1 year after expiration date, plus 60 days after the #COVID19 national emergency: https://t.co/wn6dItY9zB pic.twitter.com/4MP04hQhma
— TSA (@TSA) March 17, 2020

Tuesday, 01:58pm

Report: 4 Nets players test positive for COVID-19

More NBA players have reportedly tested positive for the new coronavirus. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that four members of the Brooklyn Nets have tested positive for COVID-19. The NBA suspended its season last week after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus. The Jazz did not play the Nets on their four-game road stand on the east coast prior to Gobert's positive test. Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell and Detroit Pistons forward Christian Wood have also tested positive for COVID-19 since the league suspended the season.

Tuesday, 01:50pm

Church pulls non-native missionaries from Philippines

Citing a new travel directive from the Philippines government, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Tuesday that all non-native missionaries are being pulled out of the country. Church officials said those missionaries leaving the country will return to their home countries for a precautionary 14-day period of self-isolation before they are given new assignments in their home country.

Tuesday, 01:23pm

Deseret Industries to temporarily shut down, church says

Dozens of Deseret Industries stores along the west will be closed to the public amid COVID-19 spread, officials from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said Tuesday. The stores will be closed to the general public for shopping and donations beginning Wednesday; however, the stores will remain open "to support the needs of individuals served by bishops’ orders and community partner grants," church officials said. Employees who are in low-risk demographics may be transferred to work in bishops' storehouses and food processing operations during this time, officials added. The closures and transfers are in effect until further notice.

Tuesday, 12:50pm

Utah now up to 51 COVID-19 cases

Utah Department of Health officials said Tuesday they have received 12 new cases of COVID-19 since Monday, upping the total to 41 residents and 10 tourists. Of the new cases, four are in Salt Lake health district. Another four were in the Summit health district; two cases were in the Wasatch district and one case in the Weber-Morgan districts. The 12th new case was a non-resident.

Tuesday, 12:48pm

Ballet West: 2 dancers test positive for COVID-19

A pair of Ballet West dancers have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the company's executive director Michael Scolamiero. He said both dancers had recently returned from Salt Lake City after an “extended trip to the East Coast” and have not had contact with other dancers or Ballet West staff since March 1.

Tuesday, 12:45pm

Macy’s temporarily shuts down all of its stores nationwide

Macy’s announced it is temporarily shutting down all of its stores nationwide by the end of Tuesday amid concerns of further widespread COVID-19 outbreak. The closures will run through March 31. According to its website, the chain has three locations in Utah: Salt Lake CIty, Murray and Sandy. In a prepared statement, Jeff Gennette, chairman and chief executive officer of Macy’s, Inc. said: “The health and safety of our customers, colleagues and communities is our utmost priority. As a result of the recent COVID-19 developments, we have decided to temporarily close our stores. We will work with government and health officials to assess when we will reopen our stores and safely bring our colleagues back to work. During this closure, we will continue to serve our customers through our e-commerce sites.”

Tuesday, 12:31pm

Smith's offers special shopping hours for senior citizen shoppers

Health officials say those who are 60 or older or have underlying medical issues are most at risk to COVID-19. In response to that, Smith's Food & Drug announced Tuesday that it will have special shopping hours solely for senior citizens on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays beginning Wednesday. Between 7 a.m. - 8 a.m. on those days, Smith's grocery stores will only be open to older shoppers. Stores will be open for younger shoppers from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on those days. This practice will continue until further notice. The chain added it is evaluating extending pharmacy hours to open earlier for seniors, as well. In a prepared statement, Aubriana Martindale, Smith’s corporate affairs manager, said: “Smith’s wants to provide these at-risk customers with the ability to purchase the items they need to avoid busier and more crowded shopping times. We request that customers respect these hours for the health of our community during this time of uncertainty. We appreciate all of our customers for their kind consideration, whose concern contributed to our decision to provide allocated hours for seniors." Smith’s also said it is waiving the curbside pick-up fee for online orders received by customers whose verified age is 60 years and older. That will remain in place through at least April 18.

Tuesday, 11:20am

CDC releases new guidelines for when to end home isolation for COVID-19 patients

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says some COVID-19 patients can stop being isolated at home in as little as seven days after their symptoms appear. For people who have COVID-19 and are symptomatic, if it has been three days since they have had a fever and their respiratory symptoms have been improved, they can stop home isolation as soon as seven days have passed since their symptoms first appeared. For people who have tested positive for the disease but have not shown any symptoms, they can stop home isolation if it has been at least seven days since their positive diagnosis, and they have not developed any subsequent illness. The agency adds that people should consider any local guidelines in conjunction with the CDC's. For more information, go to cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/disposition-in-home-patients.html.

Tuesday, 10:51am

Trump wants quick checks sent to public in virus response

President Donald Trump wants the government to send checks to Americans in the next two weeks in an effort to curb the economic cost of the coronavirus outbreak, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday. “The president has instructed me we have to do this now,” he said at the White House briefing. He didn't give details except to say the amount should be significant and millionaires would not get it.

Tuesday, 10:51am

New website helps coordinate curbside delivery for Salt Lake-area restaurants

A new website helps customers coordinate curbside delivery dining services for Salt-Lake area restaurants. The website can be found at supportsaltlakedining.com and includes resources and instructions on how to order from a handful of restaurants.

Tuesday, 10:04am

Utah District Courts will postpone jury trials, some court events to stop coronavirus spread

All civil and criminal jury trials that take place between now and May 1 in the U.S. District Court system for the state of Utah will be continued, meaning postponed, according to a court order issued Monday. All trial-related deadlines that are set between now and May 1 also will be continued, the order states. It does not cover any criminal jury trials that are already taking place. For more information, visit utcourts.gov.

Tuesday, 08:38am

Utah schools rush to distribute computers as soft closure begins

Classrooms across Utah were empty as teachers prepared to shift learning online and schools rushed to make sure students had the necessary technology for the two-week closure. Gov. Gary Herbert said the “soft closure” is designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus by implementing social distancing. “Teachers have up to two days to make plans to continue instruction,” said a statement from the governor. “Remote instruction will resume on Wednesday, March 18, at the latest, and may take many forms.”

Tuesday, 08:37am

Gephardt: How much is grocery delivery, e-commerce costing Utahns during outbreak?

Utahns are flocking to e-commerce to get their groceries and supplies delivered in this coronavirus outbreak. While that convenience can help us with social distancing experts are encouraging during the pandemic, it does come with a cost. Most retailers offering delivery have an upfront delivery fee. Some tack on additional service fees, while others fold those costs into higher online pricing. To find out how much more Utah shoppers would pay for delivery, the KSL Investigators went shopping.

Tuesday, 07:52am

Stocks claw back ground a day after worst drop since 1987

Stocks are opening broadly higher on Wall Street Tuesday, a day after plunging to their worst loss in more than three decades. The Dow industrials added 150 points, or 0.7%, a day after dropping nearly 3,000. Markets are continuing to whipsaw because of uncertainty over how badly the coronavirus will hit the economy. European markets are lower and Asian markets ended mixed after a bumpy day.

Tuesday, 07:52am

Amazon seeks to hire 100,000 to keep up with surge in orders

Amazon said Monday that it needs to hire 100,000 people across the U.S. to keep up with a crush of orders as the coronavirus spreads and keeps more people at home, shopping online. The online retailer said it will also temporarily raise pay by $2 an hour through the end of April for hourly employees. That includes workers at its warehouses, delivery centers and Whole Foods grocery stores, all of whom make at least $15 an hour. Employees in the United Kingdom and other European countries will get a similar raise.

Tuesday, 07:14am

Coronavirus shopping: State, feds say no need for rush on bottled water supplies

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Utah drinking water regulators and public delivery systems are reassuring residents that water from the tap is safe to drink, even as crowds scramble to stock up on bottled water supplies amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Tuesday, 07:14am

Coronavirus Mailbag: When can we expect COVID-19 cases to peak?

The point of KSL.com's Coronavirus Mailbag is to answer questions you have about COVID-19 or anything related to it. Here are some of those questions and the answers we’ve found.

Tuesday, 07:14am

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Ohio called off its presidential primary just hours before polls were set to open there and in three other states — an 11th-hour decision the governor said was necessary to prevent further fueling the coronavirus pandemic that has paralyzed the nation.

Intermountain Healthcare and University of Utah Health have postponed all "non-urgent elective procedures" to free up resources amid the novel coronavirus outbreak, officials announced Monday.

Positive COVID-19 Utah cases hit 39, including residents and visitors in the state.

The White House on Monday urged Americans to not gather in groups of 10 or more people.

Restaurant dine-in options are prohibited in Salt Lake County as of Monday night.

Coronavirus updates: Grocery stores offer hours for senior shoppers

By Lauren Bennett, KSL.com, Jacob Klopfenstein for KSL.com and Carter Williams, KSL.com | Updated - March 17, 2020 at 7:13 p.m. | Posted - March 17, 2020 at 7:19 a.m.

(Evan Vucci, AP File)

Macey’s, Dan’s, Lin’s, Dick’s Market and Fresh Market offer hours for seniors

Utah bans all dine-in services statewide at restaurants, bars for 2 weeks amid COVID-19 pandemic

BYU-Idaho student tests positive for COVID-19

Trump administration open to Romney idea to send Americans cash to get through pandemic

Deseret Industries to temporarily close to the public

UTA makes changes to some services amid COVID-19 spread

NBA star Kevin Durant reportedly tests positive for the coronavirus

3 states hold primaries as coronavirus fears grip nation

Trump’s economic aid could approach $1T, senators say

Want a healthy method of social distancing? Get out into the great outdoors

Utah State University students encouraged to return home for semester

The food supply is fine, retailers assure anxious Utahns

Utah Food Bank mobile pantry overwhelmed with people picking up supplies

U.S. offering low-interest loans for small businesses

Utah County announces state's 52nd COVID-19 case in county resident

Southeast Utah limiting businesses, including hotels and restaurants, to limit coronavirus spread

TSA to allow some with expired licenses through airport lines

Report: 4 Nets players test positive for COVID-19

Church pulls non-native missionaries from Philippines

Deseret Industries to temporarily shut down, church says

Utah now up to 51 COVID-19 cases

Ballet West: 2 dancers test positive for COVID-19

Macy’s temporarily shuts down all of its stores nationwide

Smith's offers special shopping hours for senior citizen shoppers

CDC releases new guidelines for when to end home isolation for COVID-19 patients

Trump wants quick checks sent to public in virus response

New website helps coordinate curbside delivery for Salt Lake-area restaurants

Utah District Courts will postpone jury trials, some court events to stop coronavirus spread

Utah schools rush to distribute computers as soft closure begins

Gephardt: How much is grocery delivery, e-commerce costing Utahns during outbreak?

Stocks claw back ground a day after worst drop since 1987

Amazon seeks to hire 100,000 to keep up with surge in orders

Coronavirus shopping: State, feds say no need for rush on bottled water supplies

Coronavirus Mailbag: When can we expect COVID-19 cases to peak?

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

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