Coronavirus updates: Bryce Canyon National Park to close indefinitely

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

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Monday, 10:46pm

COVID-19 model shows improvement in projected Utah deaths

The estimation models on how many deaths and hospitalizations that can be expected from COVID-19 in Utah have improved dramatically in the last few days. The updated projection models from the Institutes for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington give some hope that Utah’s health care systems will not be overwhelmed by the virus. Despite the improvement in projections for the number of deaths, Utah epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn said state officials were still preparing for the worst-case scenarios. “We are hopeful that those predictions hold true, but we’re preparing for the case that they might not be,” she said. All of these models were based upon the public adhering to strict social distancing practices through the end of May — meaning it’s not the time for anyone in the state to let their guard down and go back to life as usual. Read the full story here. — Jed Boal, KSL TV

Monday, 10:26pm

As cases surge, 3 in 4 US hospitals already facing COVID-19

President Donald Trump on Monday disputed the veracity of a federal survey that found hospitals faced severe shortages of coronavirus test supplies, questioning whether its conclusions were skewed by politics. With coronavirus cases rocketing toward their expected peak, the nonpartisan Health and Human Services inspector general’s office reported Monday morning that a shortage of tests and long waits for results were at the root of mounting problems faced by hospitals. "Hospitals reported that severe shortages of testing supplies and extended waits for test results limited (their) ability to monitor the health of patients and staff,” the report said. Three out of 4 U.S. hospitals told the inspector general’s office they are already treating patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, and they expect to be overwhelmed. The report did not criticize Trump administration actions. Read the full story here. — Associated Press

Monday, 07:33pm

These Utah leaders caught COVID-19; they’re urging people to take the virus seriously

Salt Lake County Councilman Arlyn Bradshaw still has no idea how he was infected. “To this day, I don’t know anyone that I came in contact with,” Bradshaw, who tested positive for COVID-19 on March 24, told KSL on Monday. “It’s a true case of community spread.” Sen. Luz Escamilla is convinced she caught the virus while spending 14-hour days on Utah’s Capitol Hill during the last week of the legislative session mid-March. She thought she had somehow survived an entire session without coming down with some type of illness like a cold or the flu — a typical occurrence for the senator during the grueling 45-day session. But then came the exhaustion. Then the body aches. Then the fever. Read the full story here.

Monday, 07:30pm

Utah Sens. Mitt Romney, Mike Lee done with quarantine after COVID-19 exposure

Utah Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney have finished two weeks of self-quarantine after being exposed to the coronavirus during a meeting in Washington, D.C., last month. Romney chartered a flight to Florida to be with his wife, Ann, who is taking extra precautions because of her multiple sclerosis. Both are doing well, according to a Romney spokeswoman. The GOP senator is continuing to work from home. Lee, a Republican, also is working from his Utah home after completing self-isolation last Friday, according to his spokesman. The Senate is not scheduled to reconvene until April 20. Read the full story here.

Monday, 06:34pm

Bryce Canyon National Park to close indefinitely amid pandemic concerns

Bryce Canyon National Park will close until further notice starting on Tuesday, the park service announced Monday. The Southwest Utah Public Health Department sent a letter to park officials asking for its closure in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, officials said. Park officials said they have been following the CDC's guidance closely and the closure is a neccessary step in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Continued visitation to Bryce Canyon made it hard to maintain the thresholds needed to ensure a safe visit, which is why this temporary closure is so important,” Bryce Canyon Superintendent Linda Mazzu said in a statement. "I’d like to express my appreciation to Garfield County for taking the initial steps in this process. Your support for Bryce Canyon National Park and our communities is greatly appreciated.” The closure comes more than a week after Gov. Gary Herbert issued his “Stay Safe, Stay Home” directive, asking Utahns to stay home in order to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Grand Canyon announced its closure last week, along with Zion National Park. — Lauren Bennett, KSL.com

Monday, 05:40pm

Utah prepares alternate care site at Expo Center

Utah now has an alternate care site inside the Mountain America Expo Center to handle possible hospital overflow during the coronavirus pandemic. The Utah Division of Emergency Management transformed the convention center by setting up 260 beds, medical equipment, a pharmacy and a pediatric unit. “This has never been done in the state of Utah before — we are in extraordinary times,” said Joe Dougherty, the division’s public information officer. If hospitals get overwhelmed, Dougherty said the beds at the expo center are intended for people needing hospital care that’s not related to COVID-19. However, if Utah’s outbreak worsens, the site could be used for coronavirus patients. Read the full story here. — Ladd Egan, KSL TV

Monday, 05:39pm

Faint glimmers of hope as virus deaths appear to be holding

The steep rise in coronavirus deaths appeared to be leveling off Monday in hard-hit New York, echoing a trend underway in Italy and Spain, while the crisis escalated in Britain, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to intensive care after his condition deteriorated. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the first, faint signs that the outbreak there may be at or near its peak, while warning that this is no time to relax the restrictions aimed at keeping people from getting too close to one another. He ordered bigger fines against violators. Read the full story here. — Associated Press

Monday, 01:59pm

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to intensive care

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was moved to the intensive care unit of a London hospital after his coronavirus symptoms worsened Monday, just a day after he was admitted for what were said to be routine tests. “Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the Prime Minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital,” his office said in a statement. Downing St. said Johnson was conscious and does not require ventilation at the moment, but was in the intensive care unit in case he needed it later. Read the full story here. — Associated Press

Monday, 01:08pm

Utah sees 70 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, 5 more deaths

Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 70 from Sunday, with five more reported deaths, according to the Utah Department of Health. Monday’s totals give Utah 1,675 confirmed cases, with 138 hospitalizations and 13 total deaths from the disease. Previously, there were 1,605 cases in the state. The new numbers indicate a 4.4% increase in positive cases since Sunday. Of the 33,394 people tested in Utah so far, 5% tested positive for COVID-19. — Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Monday, 12:31pm

Gephardt: What the pandemic means for medical, child care flex spending plans

Thousands of Utahns use flexible spending accounts to offset their child’s daycare expenses. But now that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced parents to make changes in their child care, can those flex spending plans roll with all these changes? To find out, the KSL Investigators went to the Murray office of MBA Administrators. They handle the employee benefits for dozens of businesses. — Matt Gephardt, KSL TV

Monday, 09:47am

Debate heats up over using an anti-malaria drug for COVID-19

President Donald Trump and members of his administration are growing emphatic in promoting an anti-malaria drug not yet officially approved for fighting COVID-19, even though scientists say more testing is needed before it’s proven safe and effective against the virus. Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro promoted the drug, hydroxychloroquine, in a television interview Monday, a day after Trump publicly put his faith in the drug to lessen the toll of the coronavirus pandemic. — Associated Press

Monday, 08:35am

Stocks rise sharply on signs of progress in battling virus

Stocks jumped in markets around the world Monday after some of the hardest-hit areas offered sparks of hope that the worst of the coronavirus outbreak may be on the horizon. U.S. stocks climbed more than 4% in the first few minutes of trading, following up on similar gains in Europe and Asia. In another sign that investors are feeling more optimistic about the economy’s path, the yield on the 10-year Treasury rose toward its first gain in four days. — Associated Press

Monday, 08:34am

Utah puzzle company experiences an explosion of sales

Eric Dowdle's company, Dowdle Folk Art, added a whole new shift of employees just to keep up. They keep around 250,000 puzzles on hand in their warehouse, but sales are causing them to burn through their supply. The factory that manufactures their puzzles is located in Indiana and is currently shut down. Once they reopen, Dowdle and his employees are hoping to work with them to ramp up production, just to keep ahead of the constant demand. “Costco’s always calling us,” said Dowdle. “Walmart has been going crazy with the sales of puzzles. They’re going, ‘We could not have predicted this, just like anybody else, and please send us a pallet of puzzles now.” — Ray Boone, KSL TV

Monday, 07:52am

Utah doctor: Wearing a mask benefits community but not as good as staying home

Until Friday, officials with the Centers for Disease Control had said Americans do not need to wear masks unless they are sick or a healthcare provider. But now, the CDC recommends wearing a face mask on a voluntary basis. That recommendation is for cloth masks or even a bandanna — not the medical masks or N95 respirators worn by healthcare professionals. Our communities need to reserve those masks for the people on the front lines of the pandemic. But one infectious disease doctor believes a cloth mask is not a bad idea, as long as we don’t get a false sense of security. — Jed Boal, KSL TV

Sunday, 10:15pm

Patients rush to join studies testing drug for coronavirus

Coronavirus patients around the world have been rushing to join remdesivir studies that opened in hospitals in the last few weeks. Interest has been so great that the U.S. National Institutes of Health is expanding its study, which has nearly reached its initial goal of 440 patients. The drug’s maker, California-based Gilead Sciences, is quickly ramping up its own studies, too. — Associated Press

Sunday, 10:15pm

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Americans braced for what the nation's top doctor warned Sunday would be “the hardest and saddest week” of their lives .

The United States Department of Agriculture has confirmed a New York zoo tiger has SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans.

Sunday's daily update from the Utah Department of Health revealed 1,605 people have now tested positive for COVID-19, up from 1,428 Utahns the day before.

— Jen Riess, KSL.com

Coronavirus updates: Bryce Canyon National Park to close indefinitely

By KSL | Updated - April 6, 2020 at 10:47 p.m. | Posted - April 6, 2020 at 6:55 a.m.

(KSL File Photo)

COVID-19 model shows improvement in projected Utah deaths

As cases surge, 3 in 4 US hospitals already facing COVID-19

These Utah leaders caught COVID-19; they’re urging people to take the virus seriously

Utah Sens. Mitt Romney, Mike Lee done with quarantine after COVID-19 exposure

Bryce Canyon National Park to close indefinitely amid pandemic concerns

Utah prepares alternate care site at Expo Center

Faint glimmers of hope as virus deaths appear to be holding

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to intensive care

Utah sees 70 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, 5 more deaths

Gephardt: What the pandemic means for medical, child care flex spending plans

Debate heats up over using an anti-malaria drug for COVID-19

Stocks rise sharply on signs of progress in battling virus

Utah puzzle company experiences an explosion of sales

Utah doctor: Wearing a mask benefits community but not as good as staying home

Patients rush to join studies testing drug for coronavirus

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

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Most recent Utah stories

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Coronavirus updates: Bryce Canyon National Park to close indefinitely

By KSL | Updated - April 6, 2020 at 10:47 p.m. | Posted - April 6, 2020 at 6:55 a.m.

(KSL File Photo)

COVID-19 model shows improvement in projected Utah deaths

As cases surge, 3 in 4 US hospitals already facing COVID-19

These Utah leaders caught COVID-19; they’re urging people to take the virus seriously

Utah Sens. Mitt Romney, Mike Lee done with quarantine after COVID-19 exposure

Bryce Canyon National Park to close indefinitely amid pandemic concerns

Utah prepares alternate care site at Expo Center

Faint glimmers of hope as virus deaths appear to be holding

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved to intensive care

Utah sees 70 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, 5 more deaths

Gephardt: What the pandemic means for medical, child care flex spending plans

Debate heats up over using an anti-malaria drug for COVID-19

Stocks rise sharply on signs of progress in battling virus

Utah puzzle company experiences an explosion of sales

Utah doctor: Wearing a mask benefits community but not as good as staying home

Patients rush to join studies testing drug for coronavirus

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Related links

Coronavirus news at KSL.com

Most recent Utah stories

Utah family that lost loved ones on 9/11 tell their story to keep history alive

U. grad with stage 4 cancer heads to Washington to push for clinical trial access

United or divided? Speakers urge unity at Utah 9/11 memorial ceremony

Related topics

More stories you may be interested in

Utah family that lost loved ones on 9/11 tell their story to keep history alive

University of Utah extends accord with Ute tribe to use Utes name for sports teams

Roy crossing guard faces long recovery after being hit by car

KSL Weather Forecast