Coronavirus updates: Walmart implements restrictions to promote social distancing in stores

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

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

Friday, 10:46pm

Kane County restricts visitation through April 15 amid COVID-19 pandemic

Kane County is enacting temporary and emergency visitation restrictions in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. In an attempt to curb increased strain on the rural county’s limited hospital resources, officials are restricting overnight camping in high-density recreational areas. The following areas are open for day-use only:

Wire Pass Trailhead

Dry Fork Trailhead and its slot canyons

Elephant Cove Trailhead

Hog Canyon

The dry lakebed at Coral Pink Sand Dunes

Peekaboo slot canyon

More information is available here. — Lauren Bennett, KSL.com

Friday, 10:15pm

Utah County Attorney David Leavitt tests positive for COVID-19

Utah County Attorney David Leavitt has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, he confirmed Friday evening. His symptoms began March 26 and he received the news his test was positive on Friday. “I came down with fevers, muscle aches, fatigue like I have never experienced,” Leavitt wrote in an email to KSL. “My chest tightened and I’m struggling to regain my health.” Leavitt said his office has been working from home for about two weeks and department heads have been informed so those who were potentially exposed can watch for symptoms. “I think this as been my all-time sickest I have been in my life,” he continued. “I have a lot of sympathy for those who may be fighting this virus and their families.” — Lauren Bennett, KSL.com

Friday, 07:27pm

The Shops at South Town close in Sandy amid COVID-19 concerns

Friday, 06:57pm

COVID-19 case confirmed at a Utah Corrections Community Correctional Center

A man between the ages of 45 and 64 at a Utah Corrections Community Correctional Center has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the first confirmed case in the state correctional system. Officials announced the case on Friday evening and said the man has not been in a state prison since late 2019. He has been isolated and is in stable condition, officials said. "During this difficult time for the country, there are many people who put their lives on the line to keep people safe and keep people healthy,” said Mike Haddon, executive director of the Utah Department of Corrections, in a statement. “Our staff are no different, and our team of dedicated professionals are working hard to keep those we supervise safe and healthy.” Individuals in a community correctional center will now be on quarantine for at least 14 days, officials said. “Offenders housed within a community correctional center typically have regular access to the community, with limited security, and at this time — based on recommendations from state and local health departments — the facility will now be on quarantine for at least 14 days,” officials said in a statement.

Friday, 06:35pm

Tour of Utah cycling race canceled due to COVID-19 concerns

The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah Pro Cycling State Race has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. “With the best interests of our host communities, riders, cycling fans and partners at heart, the Tour of Utah is focusing on the health and safety of all its participants and has made the difficult decision not to hold its race this August,” said Steve Miller, chairman of the Tour of Utah, in a statement. “For the past 15 editions, this international cycling event has traveled the scenic byways of Utah, and we will miss gathering communities together to enjoy the race this year.” — Lauren Bennett, KSL.com

Friday, 05:54pm

Utah 5th in US for testing per capita

As of Friday, Utah is the fifth in the country for testing per capita, according to Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox. However, the state is now running low on swabs and transport mediums, Cox said.

Hey friends, first some good news: Utah is now 5th in the nation in testing per capita! Unfortunately like many states we are starting to run low on swabs and transport medium. We don’t want to lose ground, so If you have access to these supplies please email benhart@utah.gov. pic.twitter.com/2Js6G56iP4

— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) April 3, 2020 Anyone with access to supplies is asked to email benhart@utah.gov. — Lauren Bennett, KSL.com

Friday, 04:59pm

Face masks recommended, though Trump says he won't wear one

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now encourages people, especially in areas hit hard by the spread of the coronavirus, to use rudimentary coverings like T-shirts, bandannas and non-medical masks to cover their faces while outdoors. President Trump announced the new federal guidelines Friday, but said he won't wear a mask. Read the full story here.

Friday, 04:46pm

Utah officials seeking volunteers with medical background to treat patients at overflow site

The State is taking another step to be as prepared as possible to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. Volunteers with a background in healthcare are needed to potentially staff an overflow facility for lower-acuity patients. Learn more: https://t.co/3SFxhYxMoV #TogetherUtah pic.twitter.com/Y5D3xyFOWu

— UServeUtah (@UServeUtah) April 3, 2020

Friday, 04:09pm

First COVID-19 case confirmed at SUU

A Southern Utah University student has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the first confirmed case in the campus community, officials announced on Friday. The student is not an international student, did not study abroad recently in Italy or travel for spring break, officials said. There are eight other cases of COVID-19 in Iron County, university officials said. The student does not live on campus and is in a 14-day quarantine, recovering at home. — Lauren Bennett, KSL.com

Friday, 03:07pm

Hill Air Force Base cancels 2020 Warriors Over The Wasatch

The Hill Air Force Base Warriors Over The Wasatch Air and Space Show has been canceled for 2020, the air force said on Twitter. The event had been scheduled for June 27-28.

The Warriors Over the Wasatch Air and Space Show scheduled for June 27-28, 2020, at Hill AFB has been cancelled to protect public health due to COVID-19. The base plans to pick up its next air show in 2022. https://t.co/2fBsHEoXCd
— Hill Air Force Base (@HAFB) April 3, 2020

Friday, 03:07pm

Larry H. Miller Group of Companies suffer layoff amid coronavirus outbreak

The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies has reduced “a small percentage” of its workforce, according to a statement from the company, due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic. ESPN reported that as part of cutbacks there are layoffs underway with the Utah Jazz. Those layoffs are limited to non-basketball staff and some employees are taking compensation reductions, according to the report. “Due to the impact on our customer-facing businesses from this unprecedented pandemic, the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies, of which the Utah Jazz are a part, unfortunately, had to make difficult decisions to reduce a small percentage of our workforce,” a company statement said. — Ryan Miller, KSL.com

Friday, 03:07pm

From late-night hosts to Jim from 'The Office': Free content to check out during quarantine

You’re stuck at home all day due to the coronavirus quarantine and things are starting to get testy at your casa. Family member quirks that were once cute are now bordering on obnoxious, the fridge has started talking and asking you if you’re really looking through it again, and now that you flew through "Tiger King" on Netflix in a day and a half you’re itching for some new, fresh content. While I can’t help you with those family quirks or your anthropomorphic fridge, I might be able to help when it comes to seeing some new content from your favorite late-night TV hosts and a few others. Here are some celebrities and entertainers still pumping out free content during the COVID-19 pandemic. — John Clyde, KSL.com Contributor

Friday, 01:45pm

Zion National Park closing due to COVID-19 concerns

Zion National Park will be closed, effective immediately Friday, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announced in a press conference. Herbert's office worked with local officials in Washington County, as well as federal officials with the Department of the Interior, to arrive at the decision Friday. Since many out-of-state visitors come into Utah to visit Zion National Park, authorities thought it best to close the park to prevent the spread of the disease. — Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Friday, 01:21pm

Utah COVID-19 cases up 172 to hit 1,246 Friday total

Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 172 from Thursday, with no new reported deaths, according to the Utah Department of Health. Friday's totals give Utah 1,246 confirmed cases, with 106 hospitalizations and seven total deaths from the disease. Previously, there were 1,074 cases in the state. — Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Friday, 01:21pm

Google to release your location data to help fight coronavirus pandemic

Google is publicly releasing the data it's already collecting about people's movements during the coronavirus pandemic. The company said it plans to publish a series of "Community Mobility Reports" to show the types of places people are visiting across 131 countries and regions. The first report was published on Friday. Google said in a blog post it hopes tracking movement trends over time and by geography could help shape and inform governments' and public health officials' response to the coronavirus pandemic. — CNN

Friday, 01:21pm

Gov. Herbert changing state parks directive into executive order

Gov. Gary Herbert decided to turn his state park directive into an executive order, meaning there would be a possible penalty for those who don’t follow it. Herbert said Utah’s state parks would remain open, but only for residents in the county where their state park is located. It was issued as part of his “Stay Safe, Stay Home” directive. He later decided to make his directive into an order, meaning there would be a law enforcement element behind it. — Alex Cabrero, KSL TV

Friday, 01:21pm

Stocks pull lower after wavering earlier; crude oil climbs

Stocks are falling in midday trading Friday, putting Wall Street on track for its third losing week in the last four. But the day's and the week's losses are milder than those that have rocked investors the last couple months. Before trading began, the government reported that U.S. employers cut 701,000 jobs last month. It was the first drop in nearly a decade, but it didn’t pack as big a market punch as the numbers may have suggested because investors were fully expecting such astonishing losses. — Associated Press

Friday, 01:21pm

Coronavirus survivor: 'In my blood, there may be answers'

Tiffany Pinckney remembers the fear when COVID-19 stole her breath. So when she recovered, the New York City mother became one of the country’s first survivors to donate her blood to help treat other seriously ill patients. “It is definitely overwhelming to know that in my blood, there may be answers,” Pinckney told The Associated Press. Doctors around the world are dusting off a century-old treatment for infections: Infusions of blood plasma teeming with immune molecules that helped survivors beat the new coronavirus. There’s no proof it will work. But former patients in Houston and New York were early donors, and now hospitals and blood centers are getting ready for potentially hundreds of survivors to follow. — Associated Press

Friday, 09:37am

FBI warns of 'Zoom bombing' after hacker broadcasts pornography over school video call

A recent incident with a video conference call hosted by Grovecrest Elementary exposed the dangers of “Zoom bombing” after a hacker hijacked an unsecured teleconference. On Wednesday, the school’s principal started a meeting with nearly 50 students using the teleconference software Zoom. A couple minutes into the call, an unidentified user hijacked the meeting and exposed the students to pornography. “He heard someone behind the scenes use profanity, and then some pornography was put on the screen,” said Kimberly Bird, spokesperson with the Alpine School District. “He said, ‘Oh my gosh, oh my gosh,’ and shut the meeting down.” — Ashley Moser, KSL TV

Friday, 08:14am

'Tip Your Server' program offers relief to struggling bar, restaurant workers

A sushi restaurant hit by both the coronavirus and last month’s earthquake was one of dozens of eateries and bars selected to receive a grant from Ty Burrell’s “Tip Your Server” campaign, a program designed to offer relief to struggling hospitality workers. The local business found out they won the grant Thursday. “Me and my little brother started this business with only the change in our pocket,” said Ammon Chung, co-owner of Five Sushi Brothers which opened about four years ago in Provo. — Matt Rascon, KSL TV

Friday, 07:38am

Business is booming for Utah distillery as it focuses efforts on hand sanitizer

A Utah distillery is getting a lot of business — and it isn’t for the booze. “Our business has completely changed,” said Kirk Sedgwick, the owner of Outlaw Distillery in Midvale. Hand sanitizer has become a hot commodity these days, and people are turning to the local businesses to get it. — Felicia Martinez, KSL TV

Friday, 07:37am

White House moves toward promoting face masks to fight virus

The Trump administration is formalizing new guidance to recommend that many Americans wear face coverings in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus as the president defends his response to the crisis. “Because of some recent information that the virus can actually be spread even when people just speak as opposed to coughing and sneezing -- the better part of valor is that when you’re out, when you can’t maintain that 6-foot distance, to wear some sort of facial covering,” the top U.S. infectious disease official said Friday on “Fox & Friends.” — Associated Press

Friday, 07:36am

Global stocks pare losses after US jobs report, oil up again

Global stock markets were down Friday after the U.S. government said employers cut 701,000 jobs in March as they shut down or sharply curtailed business due to the coronavirus outbreak. European markets were lower after losses in most of Asia. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 77 points shortly after the report was released, compared with a decline of 100 points around 8:30 a.m. The report comes a day after the government said a record 6.6 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week. The S&P 500 has fallen less than 1% so far this week, but is down 25% from the record it set back on Feb. 19. — Associated Press

Friday, 07:04am

US sheds 701,000 jobs in March; jobless rate at 4.4%

A record-long streak of U.S. job growth ended suddenly in March after nearly a decade as employers cut 701,000 jobs because of the viral outbreak that's all but shut down the U.S. economy. The unemployment rate jumped to 4.4% from a 50-year low of 3.5%. Last month's actual job loss was likely even larger because the government surveyed employers before the heaviest layoffs hit in the past two week. Nearly 10 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits in the last two weeks of March, far exceeding the figure for any corresponding period on record. — Associated Press

Friday, 07:04am

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases increased to 1,074, the Utah Department of Health confirmed Thursday. The total number of deaths in the state remains at seven.

Scientists offered more evidence that the coronavirus is spread by seemingly healthy people who show no clear symptoms, and the federal government issued new guidance warning that anyone exposed to the disease can be considered a carrier.

Utah Rep. Ben McAdams said on national TV Thursday he never expected to be hospitalized for eight days with the new coronavirus — so weak at times he couldn’t hold a telephone to talk to his family — and urged all Americans to avoid going out in public, even if they aren’t under a stay-at-home order.

Over 28,000 more Utahns filed unemployment claims last week as jobless rates continue to skyrocket nationwide amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued its first emergency use authorization for a coronavirus test that looks for antibodies in the blood.

Read all of yesterday's coronavirus news here.

Coronavirus updates: Walmart implements restrictions to promote social distancing in stores

By KSL.com Staff | Updated - April 3, 2020 at 10:50 p.m. | Posted - April 3, 2020 at 7:04 a.m.

(Photo courtesy of Walmart)

Kane County restricts visitation through April 15 amid COVID-19 pandemic

Utah County Attorney David Leavitt tests positive for COVID-19

The Shops at South Town close in Sandy amid COVID-19 concerns

COVID-19 case confirmed at a Utah Corrections Community Correctional Center

Tour of Utah cycling race canceled due to COVID-19 concerns

Utah 5th in US for testing per capita

Face masks recommended, though Trump says he won't wear one

Utah officials seeking volunteers with medical background to treat patients at overflow site

First COVID-19 case confirmed at SUU

Hill Air Force Base cancels 2020 Warriors Over The Wasatch

Larry H. Miller Group of Companies suffer layoff amid coronavirus outbreak

From late-night hosts to Jim from 'The Office': Free content to check out during quarantine

Zion National Park closing due to COVID-19 concerns

Utah COVID-19 cases up 172 to hit 1,246 Friday total

Google to release your location data to help fight coronavirus pandemic

Gov. Herbert changing state parks directive into executive order

Stocks pull lower after wavering earlier; crude oil climbs

Coronavirus survivor: 'In my blood, there may be answers'

FBI warns of 'Zoom bombing' after hacker broadcasts pornography over school video call

'Tip Your Server' program offers relief to struggling bar, restaurant workers

Business is booming for Utah distillery as it focuses efforts on hand sanitizer

White House moves toward promoting face masks to fight virus

Global stocks pare losses after US jobs report, oil up again

US sheds 701,000 jobs in March; jobless rate at 4.4%

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

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Coronavirus updates: Walmart implements restrictions to promote social distancing in stores

By KSL.com Staff | Updated - April 3, 2020 at 10:50 p.m. | Posted - April 3, 2020 at 7:04 a.m.

(Photo courtesy of Walmart)

Walmart implements restrictions to promote social distancing in stores

Kane County restricts visitation through April 15 amid COVID-19 pandemic

Utah County Attorney David Leavitt tests positive for COVID-19

The Shops at South Town close in Sandy amid COVID-19 concerns

COVID-19 case confirmed at a Utah Corrections Community Correctional Center

Tour of Utah cycling race canceled due to COVID-19 concerns

Utah 5th in US for testing per capita

Face masks recommended, though Trump says he won't wear one

Utah officials seeking volunteers with medical background to treat patients at overflow site

First COVID-19 case confirmed at SUU

Hill Air Force Base cancels 2020 Warriors Over The Wasatch

Larry H. Miller Group of Companies suffer layoff amid coronavirus outbreak

From late-night hosts to Jim from 'The Office': Free content to check out during quarantine

Zion National Park closing due to COVID-19 concerns

Utah COVID-19 cases up 172 to hit 1,246 Friday total

Google to release your location data to help fight coronavirus pandemic

Gov. Herbert changing state parks directive into executive order

Stocks pull lower after wavering earlier; crude oil climbs

Coronavirus survivor: 'In my blood, there may be answers'

FBI warns of 'Zoom bombing' after hacker broadcasts pornography over school video call

'Tip Your Server' program offers relief to struggling bar, restaurant workers

Business is booming for Utah distillery as it focuses efforts on hand sanitizer

White House moves toward promoting face masks to fight virus

Global stocks pare losses after US jobs report, oil up again

US sheds 701,000 jobs in March; jobless rate at 4.4%

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

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