Coronavirus updates: Utahns protest potential COVID-19 restrictions; advice for those in quarantine

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SALT LAKE CITY — Here are the latest updates on COVID-19 from Utah and around the world.

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

Thursday, 09:59pm

Why you should regularly wear, and wash, your mask

Intermountain Healthcare's Michelle Matheu, an infectious disease physician, anticipates Utahns will be wearing masks for a while. "I anticipate this to be the new norm for a long period of time, especially now that we are going to enter into the fall and the winter; we will see rise in respiratory infections, and this will make it even more important," she said. Matheu says cotton, as recommended by the CDC, is the best material for a mask. "The thicker the material it is, the more it's going to trap your secretions," she said. "But you don't want to make it too thick because otherwise you can suffocate and not breathe properly." For those who don’t have access to a washing machine, Matheu said they can create a bleach solution and soak their masks for five minutes. — Aley Davis, KSL TV

Thursday, 09:19pm

Group gathers at Capitol to rally against prospect of increased coronavirus restrictions

SALT LAKE CITY — About 100 people met outside of the Utah Capitol Thursday evening to decry the possibility of increased coronavirus restrictions, including the suggestion of the state reverting back to its “orange” phase of responding to the coronavirus pandemic. The protesters walked around the base of the Capitol’s front steps a little after 5 p.m. as they waited for Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Hughes, the former Utah House speaker, to address the crowd. Some held signs condemning the idea of mandatory mask usage, while others leaned Hughes’ campaign signs against their chests as they conversed. The majority were not wearing masks. — Sahalie Donaldson, KSL

Thursday, 08:41pm

Quarantined with coronavirus: 8 things my family learned that you need to know

My family just finished a real COVID-19 quarantine, and for us it wasn’t as bad as we would have thought. With daily cases of COVID-19 on the rise in Utah, it is ever more likely you or someone you know will soon find yourself fighting this virus too. I have fielded so many questions about our symptoms — not all common ones — and what fighting this novel coronavirus is like. Now on the other side of this pandemic experience, I wanted to share what I’ve learned. — Nicole Carpenter, KSL.com Contributor

Thursday, 08:09pm

Governor approves Salt Lake, Summit counties' requests to mandate masks in public

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert approved requests from Salt Lake and Summit counties to mandate mask-wearing in public spaces on Thursday. Herbert had deferred action on the request from Salt Lake County until at least Friday, according to Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson's office. But in a rapid-fire turn of events, the governor's office confirmed that Herbert was approving the county's proposal Thursday night. "Notifications are in the process of being made to the two requesting jurisdictions that they may implement a face-covering requirement," Gen. Jefferson Burton, interim director of the Utah Department of Health, told KSL. "Governor Herbert has approved their requests." The governor's office has scheduled a briefing on COVID-19 for Friday afternoon. — Graham Dudley, KSL.com

Thursday, 02:47pm

Summit County joins Salt Lake in requesting mandatory mask exemption

Summit County has requested the state allow it to mandate mask-wearing in public spaces. A letter from county officials to Gen. Jefferson Burton, interim director of the Utah Department of Health, says the county is clearly "heading the wrong direction since moving to Yellow." The data "may not be as dire at this moment as some surrounding jurisdictions," the officials write, but "all the trends are unfavorable." "We strongly believe our primary hope in adverting a future business shutdown is through this proposed mandatory mask measure," they said. Salt Lake County has already requested it be allowed to mandate masks, and Gov. Gary Herbert has indicated he is inclined to grant that request; a decision is expected today. Herbert said Wednesday he is in favor of local jurisdictions managing their own coronavirus response as they see fit. — Graham Dudley, KSL.com

Thursday, 01:12pm

590 cases, 1 death Thursday in Utah

The Utah Department of Health on Thursday reported an additional 590 cases of COVID-19 and one new death from the disease in the state. That brings Utah’s total to 19,374 cases since the pandemic began, up from 18,784 the day before. A total of 164 Utahns have now died due to COVID-19, and 10,642 Utahns are estimated to have recovered from it. The health department is reporting 7,316 new tests conducted — though that number is "likely artificially high," it says, due to several days' worth of negative tests being reported today — and 34 new hospitalizations. It says 170 Utahns are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19. — Graham Dudley, KSL.com

Thursday, 11:55am

Gov. Herbert, local leaders address the needs of Latino community during COVID-19

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic struck Utah, state leaders Thursday conducted a press conference entirely in Spanish to address the unique challenges of the state's Hispanic and Latino community in combating the virus. A full look at the contents of the press conference can be found here. —Graham Dudley, KSL.com

Thursday, 11:44am

Remembering the Utahns we’ve lost: Carol Moody

Carol Moody was a wife, a mother and a grandmother, and she loved being all three. She really was our number one fan,” Robert Moody said. He, along with his brothers Rick and Roger Moody, remembered their mother’s unwavering support. It was May 5 when Carol first started showing symptoms of COVID-19. Two days later, she went to the doctor, only to instead be admitted to the hospital with dangerously low blood oxygen levels. To read about Carol Moody's life, click here. —Keira Farrimond, KSL TV

Thursday, 11:36am

Coronavirus Mailbag: How and where are people getting sick?

Since this pandemic began, we’ve asked you, our readers, to submit questions to us that we can dig up the answers for. As COVID-19 has returned with a fury, we look at how it returned and other facets of the disease. — Carter Williams, KSL.com

Thursday, 11:36am

Utah company’s COVID-19 drug 'fast-tracked' by FDA

Scientists in Utah are studying a drug that could protect people from the effects of COVID-19. The treatment drug is called RBT-9. In addition to fighting the viral replication in the body, scientists at Frontier Scientific in Utah said it would also protect organs, like the lungs, from inflammation. Stage 2 trials have been fast-tracked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. — Mike Anderson, KSL TV

Thursday, 09:12am

New unemployment claims steady in latest Utah numbers

The latest weekly numbers from the Utah Department of Workforce Services show 4,961 new claims for unemployment benefits in Utah, up only slightly from 4,847 claims the week before. The claims were filed between June 14 and June 20 and reflect the uneven road to recovery from the coronavirus pandemic even as Utah's economy fares better than many other states'. — Graham Dudley, KSL.com

Thursday, 09:12am

US inmates got virus relief checks, and IRS wants them back

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in coronavirus relief payments have been sent to people behind bars across the United States, and now the IRS is asking state officials to help claw back the cash that the federal tax agency says was mistakenly sent. The legislation authorizing the payments during the pandemic doesn’t specifically exclude jail or prison inmates, and the IRS has refused to say exactly what legal authority it has to retrieve the money. Kaitlin Felsted, a spokeswoman for the Utah prison system, said the state had intercepted 28 checks so far but noted that any relief money sent to an inmate's home address wouldn't be touched by prison officials. — Associated Press

Thursday, 07:11am

Applications for US jobless aid fall to still-high 1.48 million

The number of laid-off workers who applied for unemployment benefits declined slightly to 1.48 million last week, the 12th straight drop and a sign that layoffs are slowing but are still at a painfully high level. The steady decline in claims suggests that the job market has begun to slowly heal from the pandemic, which shuttered businesses and sent the unemployment rate up to 14.7% in April, its highest level since the Great Depression. — Associated Press

Thursday, 07:11am

Virus cases surge among the young, endangering older adults

Coronavirus cases are climbing rapidly among young adults in a number of states where bars, stores and restaurants have reopened — a disturbing generational shift that not only puts them in greater peril than many realize but poses an even bigger danger to older people who cross their paths. — Associated Press