Coronavirus updates: 2020 Twilight Concert Series canceled; Alpine School District seeks parental feedback

By KSL Staff | Updated - July 31, 2020 at 2:22 p.m. | Posted - July 31, 2020 at 6:48 a.m.

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

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.

Friday, 02:21 pm

Utah meets governor's case limit goal with 500 more COVID-19 cases, 4 deaths reported Friday

Utah has achieved Gov. Gary Herbert's COVID-19 case limit goal with 500 new cases reported Friday, but there is still a long way to go.Four more deaths were also reported, according to the Utah Department of Health. The health department estimates that there are now 11,763 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah.The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 457, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 9.9%.For a full analysis of Utah's daily COVID-19 numbers, click here.—Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Friday, 09:59 am

2020 Twilight Concert Series canceled

Utah's 2020 Twilight Concert Series announced in an Instagram post that it was officially canceled."Over the last few months we’ve closely monitored the development of COVID-19 and the tremendous social and economic impact it has had within our community, especially within the arts, live music, and events industries," the post reads.The post also says that, while event cancellations have become part of the 2020 Summer season, it does not make the event's cancellation easier.The statement then assures that the concert series remains "committed to bolstering our diverse artistic community within Salt Lake City" and promises to shift their efforts toward supporting the local music community.—Katie Workman, KSL.com

Friday, 08:27 am

US consumer spending up 5.6%, but virus could stall gains

American consumers increased their spending in June by a solid 5.6%, helping regain some of record plunge that occurred after the coronavirus struck hard in March and paralyzed the economy. But the virus' resurgence in much of the country could impede further gains.Last month’s rise in consumer spending followed a seasonally adjusted 8.5% surge in May after spending had plunged the previous two months when the pandemic shuttered businesses, caused tens of millions of layoffs and sent the economy into a recession.—Associated Press

Friday, 08:27 am

Virus testing turnaround times reveal wide disparities across US

Cameron Settles was swabbed for COVID-19 in mid-June at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando and it took him eight days to get the results.As coronavirus cases surge in hard-hit Florida, so do the turnaround times for test results.The reasons are many: Often it has to do with lab staffing, backlog, or equipment shortages. Some tests are done in house, while others are sent to overloaded labs out of state. Health experts say test results that come back after two or three days are nearly worthless, because by then the window for tracing the person’s contacts to prevent additional infections has essentially closed.—Associated Press

Friday, 08:27 am

Alpine School District: Many parents haven’t declared if students learning from home, in class

Thursday marked the deadline for parents living in the Alpine School District to declare if they want their children to return to learn in the classroom – but thousands of parents in the state’s largest district still have not responded.At Ridgeline Elementary, the front office staff and educators spent their day making dozens of phone calls.“We’re buckling down,” Principal Tim Pead said. “Ultimately we just need to know the numbers so we can make decisions that will put the right teachers in the right spots.”—By Brittany Tait, KSL TV

Friday, 08:27 am

Fauci to tell House panel ‘unclear’ how long pandemic lasts

There’s no end in sight to the coronavirus pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top government health experts will tell Congress on Friday.“While it remains unclear how long the pandemic will last, COVID-19 activity will likely continue for some time,” Fauci, along with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Dr. Robert Redfield and Health and Human Services testing czar Adm. Brett Giroir say in prepared testimony for a special House panel investigating the pandemic.At a time when early progress seems to have been lost and uncertainty clouds the nation’s path forward, Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, is calling on lawmakers — and all other Americans — to go back to public health basics such as social distancing and wearing masks.—Associated Press

Friday, 06:48 am

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases increased by 502 on Thursday, with nine more deaths reported.

Unemployment claims continue to fall in the Beehive State, the Utah Department of Workforce Services said Thursday, reporting a 17% drop in traditional new applications last week and 12% fewer pandemic specific claims.

The U.S. economy shrank at a dizzying 33% annual rate in the April-June quarter — by far the worst quarterly plunge ever — when the viral outbreak shut down businesses, throwing tens of millions out of work and sending unemployment surging to 14.7%, the government said Thursday.