Coronavirus updates: 546 new Utah cases; Rockets’ Westbrook tests positive for virus

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

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Monday, 05:41pm

Rockets’ Westbrook has virus, as NBA bubble faces first test

Houston’s Russell Westbrook hasn’t made it to the NBA restart yet. The coronavirus did — but health protocols seemed to work as the league and its players hoped they would. On a day of troubling news for the league — Westbrook revealing that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and two other players facing 10-day quarantines for leaving the league campus perimeter at Walt Disney World — it was also announced that two players tested positive for the coronavirus after arriving in Central Florida last week. But neither player made it out of quarantine, so neither entered the so-called bubble and could mingle freely with other players, coaches and staff. The NBA said both players, neither of whom were identified, “have since left the Campus to isolate at home or in isolation housing.” “Our protocols are unbelievable,” Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said. “I think our protocols and our health and safety measures have been top-notch. I think this thing will work perfectly. ... We’re doing everything that we can possibly do to make sure that we’re healthy, we’re safe and we’re in an environment where we can be successful and do our jobs at a high level.” Read the full story here. — Associated Press

Monday, 05:32pm

White House turns on Fauci as Trump minimizes virus spike

With U.S. virus cases spiking and the death toll mounting, the White House is working to undercut its most trusted coronavirus expert, playing down the danger as President Donald Trump pushes to get the economy moving before he faces voters in November.The U.S. has become a cautionary tale across the globe, with once-falling cases now spiraling. However, Trump suggests the severity of the pandemic that has killed more than 135,000 Americans is being overstated by critics to damage his reelection chances.Trump on Monday retweeted a post by Chuck Woolery, once the host of TV's "Love Connection,” claiming that “Everyone is lying" about COVID-19. Woolery's tweet attacked not just the media and Democrats but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and most doctors "that we are told to trust. I think it’s all about the election and keeping the economy from coming back, which is about the election." At the same time, the president and top White House aides are ramping up attacks against Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert. Fauci has been increasingly sidelined by the White House as he sounds alarms about the virus, a most unwelcome message at a time when Trump is focused on pushing an economic rebound.Read the full story here. — Associated Press

Monday, 05:24pm

Immigration courts reopen despite rising coronavirus cases

Three immigration courts reopened Monday as the government extended its push to fully restart the clogged system despite rising coronavirus cases in states where many of the small courtrooms are located.In Baltimore, people with hearings to reach final decisions were allowed to enter the federal building housing the immigration court only if they wore masks. Benches in a courtroom and seats in a waiting area were blocked off with tape, and social distancing signs were placed on the floor and elevators.But scheduling hearings, which can include dozens of people in a single courtroom, did not take place Monday.Courts in Newark and Detroit also were scheduled to reopen Monday. The reopenings extend a haphazard but unmistakable march to business as usual that has outraged judges and lawyers who say the pandemic poses unacceptable risk of spreading disease. — Associated Press

Monday, 05:01pm

California shuts bars, indoor dining and most gyms, churches

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday extended the closure of bars and indoor dining statewide and ordered gyms, churches and hair salons closed in most places as coronavirus cases keep rising in the nation's most populated state. On July 1, Newsom ordered 19 counties with a surging number of confirmed infections to close bars and indoor operations at restaurants, wineries, zoos and family entertainment centers like bowling alleys and miniature golf. The Democratic governor extended that order statewide Monday. He also imposed additional restrictions on the 30 counties now with rising numbers, including the most populated of Los Angeles and San Diego, by ordering worship services to stop and gyms, hair salons, indoor malls and offices for noncritical industries to shut down. “The data suggests not everybody is practicing common sense,” said Newsom, whose order takes effect immediately. — Associated Press

Monday, 04:30pm

Time to make masks mandatory? It's not just a US debate

Amid pervasive backsliding on social distancing, Britain has made masks mandatory in shops and France is weighing whether to require people to wear them in public places.Scientists say the two countries' governments should have done so ever since they started easing lockdowns — like many other European nations did – instead of exposing their populations to the risk of infections from mass dance parties and summer vacationers who think there’s no longer anything to worry about.After weeks of prevarication and days of confused messaging, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government said Monday that masks will be required in stores starting July 24.Meanwhile, France’s government said it's considering requiring masks in all indoor public places amid signs of a small rise in confirmed virus cases — and a big drop in public vigilance. — Associated Press

Monday, 01:10pm

Utah sees 546 new cases of COVID-19, 1 new death

Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 546 from Sunday, with one new reported death, according to the Utah Department of Health. Monday's totals give Utah 30,030 total confirmed cases, with 1,850 total hospitalizations and 216 total deaths from the disease. — Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Monday, 01:10pm

Gephardt: Gas company resumes disconnecting delinquents, vows to help customers

Dominion Energy decided in March to cease disconnecting those who didn’t pay their gas bills. The decision was to ensure that people who may come down with COVID-19 would be able to stay home comfortably, especially before summer when so many people rely on their furnaces. The program goes only until mid-July, said Dominion Energy spokesman Donald Porter. He said the gas company is eager to keep working with folks who are struggling. — Matt Gephardt, KSL TV

Monday, 10:33am

Utah delivers 140K masks to grocery stores for customers

The state of Utah has delivered 140,000 masks to Associated Food Stores, Smith's Food and Drug and several other retail stores as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The delivery is part of the state's "A Mask For Every Utahn" program, according to a news release from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. Customers will be able to request a reusable cloth mask from the customer service desk at the stores. “For Utahns who haven’t been able to make or locate a face covering, the distribution of #MaskUtah masks to grocery stores and other retail outlets in Utah provides one more way the state is utilizing federal CARES Act funds to help Utahns and respond to the coronavirus pandemic,” Ben Hart, deputy director at the Governor’s Office of Economic Development, said in the release. “Using a face-covering in public is a gesture of respect for those around you, and an essential part of limiting the spread of COVID-19.” For a full list of participating stores, click on this link. — Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Monday, 09:03am

Draper division of motor branch closed after employee tests positive for COVID-19

The Draper branch of the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles at 14555 S. Minute Man Drive will be closed until further notice after an employee there tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend, according to a news release. “This is frustrating for customers and employees but unavoidable given the situation,” Monte Roberts, the Motor Vehicle Division director, said in the release. The branch building will be cleaned and sterilized, and all employees will be cleared of COVID-19 before the branch is reopened to the public. Customer appointments that have previously been scheduled at the Draper branch will be canceled, Roberts said. People who made appointments at that location are encouraged to reschedule the appointments at a different location. — Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Monday, 07:58am

US grapples with pandemic as its origins are traced in China

The United States was grappling with the worst coronavirus outbreak in the world on Monday, as Florida shattered the national record for a state’s largest single-day increase in new confirmed cases. Meanwhile, two World Health Organization experts were part of a mission in China to trace the origin of the pandemic. — Associated Press

Monday, 07:48am

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Florida reports largest, single-day increase in COVID cases, surpassing New York's worst day

629 new COVID-19 cases, 3 new deaths announced Sunday

Family, friends celebrate 95-year-old couple’s birthdays and anniversary

Read all of yesterday's COVID-19 news here

Coronavirus updates: 546 new Utah cases; Rockets’ Westbrook tests positive for virus

By KSL.com Staff | Updated - July 13, 2020 at 5:49 p.m. | Posted - July 13, 2020 at 7:58 a.m.

(Steve Griffen, KSL, File)

Rockets’ Westbrook has virus, as NBA bubble faces first test

White House turns on Fauci as Trump minimizes virus spike

Immigration courts reopen despite rising coronavirus cases

California shuts bars, indoor dining and most gyms, churches

Time to make masks mandatory? It's not just a US debate

Utah sees 546 new cases of COVID-19, 1 new death

Gephardt: Gas company resumes disconnecting delinquents, vows to help customers

Utah delivers 140K masks to grocery stores for customers

Draper division of motor branch closed after employee tests positive for COVID-19

US grapples with pandemic as its origins are traced in China

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

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