Coronavirus updates: 413 more COVID-19 cases, 7 deaths; Dem. gubernatorial candidate calls for mask mandate

By KSL.com Staff | Updated - July 15, 2020 at 9:48 p.m. | Posted - July 15, 2020 at 7:10 a.m.

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

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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.

Wednesday, 11:04pm

COVID-19 statistics: A deeper look into Utah’s rising workplace cases

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Utah Department of Health reports that the spread of the coronavirus is mostly happening between known contacts. That means someone gets infected by a family member, a close friend, neighbor or a co-worker and then, in turn, infects someone they know. As of Wednesday, 64% of Utah’s 30,891 cases, or nearly 20,000 in total, are attributed to spread from a known contact. Of those nearly 20,000 cases, about 61% are through household contact. Compare that to community spread, travel and health care, which combined account for nearly 6,000 of Utah’s cases. The rest remain under investigation. But there’s a number rising within the department’s data: workplaces. — Carter Williams, KSL.com

Wednesday, 09:47pm

Coronavirus resources: Symptoms, statistics, testing, news, answers to your questions

Symptoms? Spread? Statistics? Testing? Coronavirus mailbags? Find everything you need to know about the novel coronavirus COVID-19, including an overview of the disease, information on how to protect yourself and where to get tested, and local and national resources Symptoms? Spread? Statistics? Testing? Coronavirus mailbags? Find everything you need to know about the novel coronavirus COVID-19, including an overview of the disease, information on how to protect yourself and where to get tested, and local and national resources. — KSL.com

Wednesday, 09:46pm

Anti-mask crowd fills Utah County meeting on mask mandate exemption request; meeting rescheduled due to health concerns

Utah County Commissioner Bill Lee pulled his mask off before addressing a crowd of nearly 100 anti-mask protesters, drawing cheers from the unmasked crowd. The county commission was scheduled to vote on a letter asking Ralph Clegg, executive director of the Utah County Health Department, to give Utah County “compassionate exemptions” to Gov. Gary Herbert’s mask mandate for K-12 schools as students return to classrooms amid the coronavirus pandemic. After Lee’s remarks, the protesters filtered into the Utah County Administration Building and crowded into the chambers and lobby, ignoring the X’s taped on the floor for social distancing. — Mack Jones, KSL

Wednesday, 09:44pm

Cocktails to go? Why some local bar owners believe that could save their business during the pandemic

Could Utah bars ever offer cocktails to go? In a state famous for its exacting liquor laws, this may seem far-fetched. But a group of local bar owners is now arguing that during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering drinks to go could be the difference between staying open or shutting down for good. They're asking the Gov. Gary Herbert for emergency relief, but his office says any changes will be left up to the Legislature. Sean Neves, co-owner of the Water Witch cocktail bar in Salt Lake City, wants to be clear: He's not advocating for a Las Vegas-style free-for-all of booze on the streets. Rather, he wants bars to be able to sell drinks in sealed containers for consumers to enjoy at home. "What we're talking about," Neves told KSL.com on Wednesday, "is the ability to create a revenue stream that helps us and gives us an important lifeline through the coronavirus pandemic, and also through the recovery." — Graham Dudley, KSL.com

Wednesday, 09:43pm

Fall 2020 reopening plans: How each state school district is responding to the coronavirus pandemic

From the governor to local school districts to parents, teachers and students, many decisions must be made this fall as Utahns prepare to return to school during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert enacted a soft closure of state schools in the spring and students finished the year online. But with more time to prepare for the fall, schools and universities are trying to walk a line between providing in-person instruction and keeping students and teachers safe even as COVID-19 cases continue to be reported. — KSL.com

Wednesday, 02:49pm

413 more COVID-19 cases, 7 deaths reported in Utah Wednesday

Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases increased by 413 from Tuesday, with seven more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health. The new numbers indicate a 1.4% increase in positive cases since Tuesday. Of the 432,080 tests conducted in Utah so far, 7.1% were positive for COVID-19. The number of tests conducted increased by 7,559 as of Wednesday, the health department said. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 589, down from 635.7 Tuesday, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 10.13%, down from 10.2% Tuesday. For a full analysis of Utah's daily COVID-19 numbers, click here. —Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Wednesday, 02:49pm

Utah Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Peterson calls for statewide mask mandate

Democratic candidate for governor Chris Peterson called Wednesday for his Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, to step up efforts to protect Utahns from the spread of COVID-19, including by mandating that face masks be worn in public. Standing on State Street near where Utahns gathered in 1983 to pile sandbags that diverted an overflowing City Creek from downtown businesses and landmarks like The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Temple Square, Peterson said the state needs to do more to tap that same spirit against the deadly virus. “We have to recognize what’s happening for what it is. It is a natural disaster and we need to take steps as a community to come together and solve that natural disaster,” he said. “Sadly, however, I believe that so far, Utah state government’s coronavirus response has been inadequate.” —Lisa Riley Roche, KSL

Wednesday, 02:49pm

Coronavirus hospital data will now be sent to Trump administration instead of CDC

Hospital data on coronavirus patients will now be rerouted to the Trump administration instead of first being sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed to CNN on Tuesday. The move could make data less transparent to the public at a time when the administration is downplaying the spread of the pandemic, and threatens to undermine public confidence that medical data is being presented free of political interference. Michael Caputo, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the department, confirmed the change first reported by The New York Times earlier in the day, saying in a statement that the "new faster and complete data system is what our nation needs to defeat the coronavirus and the CDC, an operating division of HHS, will certainly participate in this streamlined all-of-government response. They will simply no longer control it." —CNN

Wednesday, 10:08am

Cache County Fair is still a go, despite coronavirus concerns

Despite concerns about the coronavirus, the Cache County Fair and Rodeo will go on as planned in a few weeks. In fact, organizers say they are expecting big crowds for the 141st annual get-together in Logan. In terms of safety precautions, organizers say they’ve been in contact with the Bear River Health Department and they will encourage rodeo attendees to wear a mask, but nothing more than a recommendation will be issued. — John Wojcik, KSL NewsRadio

Wednesday, 10:08am

Walmart will start requiring all customers to wear masks

Walmart, the world's largest retailer, is the latest national chain to require all customers to wear masks. The change will start next week. Starbucks said last week that it will require customers to wear facial coverings or masks in all 9,000 of its company-owned U.S. stores beginning Wednesday. Best Buy announced Tuesday that it will also require all shoppers coming into its approximately 1,000 stores to wear face masks. Costco began requiring its members to wear masks in stores beginning in May. — CNN

Wednesday, 10:08am

Commissioner wants Utah County students exempt from mask mandate

Utah County Commissioner Bill Lee is seeking what he calls a “compassionate exemption” to the mask mandates for K-12 students in Utah County from Gov. Gary Herbert. Unbeknownst to the other commission members, Lee added an agenda item to Wednesday’s commission meeting asking the three commissioners to vote on a letter directing Ralph Clegg, director of the Utah County Health Department, to ask Herbert for an exemption to the statewide mask mandate for schools. — Mack Jones, KSL

Wednesday, 08:27am

Coronavirus Mailbag: What are the statistics we should be looking at?

Utah crossed the 30,000-case plateau this week as its number of COVID-19 cases remains at the highest rates since the pandemic began. From its beginning, we’ve asked you, our readers, to submit questions about the coronavirus pandemic to us so we can dig up the answers for you. Here's a look into some statistics, where the spread is happening and answers to other questions you've sent us about the coronavirus. — Carter Williams, KSL.com

Wednesday, 07:10am

It's official: The CDC wants you to wear a mask

The science shows face masks work both to protect the wearer and to protect others from coronavirus, and everyone needs to wear one when around other people in public, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. Even cloth face masks help enough to be worthwhile, three top CDC officials said in a commentary published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. — CNN

Wednesday, 07:10am

Countries reimpose restrictions to curb virus resurgence

Countries around the world are reimposing lockdowns and implementing new health restrictions at their borders in an effort to curb a resurgence of the coronavirus before it spins even further out of control. Stricter health checks went into effect at Greece's border with Bulgaria following an increase in tourism-related COVID-19 cases. Starting Wednesday, all incoming travelers crossing the border point are required to carry negative coronavirus test results issued in the previous 72 hours and translated into English. — Associated Press

Wednesday, 07:10am

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Utah reported 448 new COVID-19 cases and a record-breaking 10 new deaths on Tuesday

The first COVID-19 vaccine tested in the U.S. revved up people’s immune systems just the way scientists had hoped, researchers reported — as the shots are poised to begin key final testing

Utah is spending millions on a COVID-19 app that was supposed to offer contact tracing, but the app developers quietly deleted the feature. An offer for a free tracing app still stands.

Gov. Herbert’s school mask mandate — as well as whether there’s a way for the SLC School District’s student athletes to play team sports — are among the issues the governor is expected to discuss with legislative leaders Wednesday

Read all of yesterday's COVID-19 news here

Coronavirus updates: 413 more COVID-19 cases, 7 deaths; Dem. gubernatorial candidate calls for mask mandate

By KSL.com Staff | Updated - July 15, 2020 at 9:48 p.m. | Posted - July 15, 2020 at 7:10 a.m.

(Fernando Vergara, AP Photo, File)

COVID-19 statistics: A deeper look into Utah’s rising workplace cases

Coronavirus resources: Symptoms, statistics, testing, news, answers to your questions

Anti-mask crowd fills Utah County meeting on mask mandate exemption request; meeting rescheduled due to health concerns

Cocktails to go? Why some local bar owners believe that could save their business during the pandemic

Fall 2020 reopening plans: How each state school district is responding to the coronavirus pandemic

413 more COVID-19 cases, 7 deaths reported in Utah Wednesday

Utah Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Peterson calls for statewide mask mandate

Coronavirus hospital data will now be sent to Trump administration instead of CDC

Cache County Fair is still a go, despite coronavirus concerns

Walmart will start requiring all customers to wear masks

Commissioner wants Utah County students exempt from mask mandate

Coronavirus Mailbag: What are the statistics we should be looking at?

It's official: The CDC wants you to wear a mask

Countries reimpose restrictions to curb virus resurgence

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

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