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PARK CITY – Friday marked day one of Summit County's stay at home order and a nearly-empty Main Street in Park City showed residents are complying.
“It’s a little eerie,” said Park City resident Meghan Gies, who was walking her dog. “It’s nice when it calms down, but this is a little too calm. Not having any bars or restaurants to go to is a little weird. I’ve never cooked this much.”
Summit County was the first county in Utah to implement such an order to flatten the COVID-19 curve. County health officials reported 102 confirmed cases of the virus on Friday, the second-highest total of any county.
The order is not a complete lockdown or a shelter in place, and officials wanted to remind residents they can leave their homes for essentials like food and gas while maintaining a six-foot social distance.
Park City Police Captain Phil Kirk said they have ramped up patrols, making sure people are complying in areas like the business district and where people tend to exercise.
Kirk said they are in “the educating the public phase” and are not giving out tickets. However, that could change if officers see repeat offenses.
During a Facebook Live broadcast, small business owners throughout Summit County asked questions about emergency grants and loans during “Coffee with Council.”
Kind of spooky up here in #ParkCity this morning...Not a single car on Main Street except @KSL5TV#mobile5. It’s day 1 of the Summit County #StayAtHomeOrder. I’ll have the details on #KSLTV all A.M. #coronavirus#COVID#SocialDistanacing#FlattenTheCurvepic.twitter.com/ewhSRuc7vm
— Felicia Martinez (@FeliciaKSL) March 27, 2020
“We do want to see what money comes from the state and the feds and their local packages and emergency relief funds. After we see how that rolls out, which we think will be in 3 to 4 days, we are willing to have a conversation about taking a more aggressive role in the future,” said Jonathan Weidenhamer, Park City Economic Development director.
Meanwhile, many people who live in Park City were without a job and residents were worried about their bills.
“I don’t know how some of them are going to pay rent,” Gies said.
“I think that’s very sad and hopefully it will pick up again, but we don’t know, we’ve never been in a situation like this before,” said Park City resident Annette Keller during a walk with her husband.
- To help mitigate infectious transmission of COVID-19, health care officials advise anyone who thinks they might have the virus to first call their doctor before going to a hospital
- Wash hands thoroughly and often
- Stay home if you’re feeling sick
- Don’t touch your face
- Cough or sneeze in your elbow or a tissue
- Patients with COVID-19 typically have a fever, cough and shortness of breath, though asymptomatic transmission is possible. If you believe you may have the virus, speak with a healthcare provider.
- Utah’s COVID-19 website is https://coronavirus.utah.gov/.
- Intermountain Healthcare has created a COVID-19 symptom tracker for individuals worried they may have the virus.
- Utah’s COVID-19 information hotline is 1-800-456-7707.
- People are asked to first call the University of Utah Health coronavirus hotline at 801-587-0712 to determine if testing is absolutely necessary.
