Coronavirus updates: 552 new cases, 7 deaths; Herbert issues 2 new executive orders

By KSL.com Staff | Updated - Aug. 14, 2020 at 10:07 p.m. | Posted - Aug. 14, 2020 at 7:21 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.

Friday, 10:00 pm

Restrictions, not risk: New Utah executive orders update COVID-19 phase phrasing, school face mask guidelines

On Friday, Gov. Gary Herbert issued two executive orders addressing key parts of the state’s novel coronavirus response: one clarifying the school face mask requirement and the other adjusting terminology for the color-coded reopening guidelines.The changes come after Herbert previously addressed both issues at coronavirus briefings. Friday’s orders formalized and officially adopted the changes.— Lauren Bennett, KSL.com

Friday, 09:57 pm

Arianne Brown: Lessons learned during the literal longest summer vacation ever

Five months and several days ago, our governor brought forth to this state a "new now," conceived in the unexpected coronavirus pandemic, and dedicated to the proposition that all children would remain home from school indefinitely — or until further notice, which appears to be next week.It’s been 164 long days compared to the usual 90 days. And if you’re counting the days of impromptu distance learning as days spent "in" school, you are a better parent than I’ll ever be.Yet, despite school being dismissed early, and seemingly endless days of nonformal learning in a social-isolating environment, I have learned a lot, and I think my children have, too. Here are some of those things.— Arianne Brown, KSL.com Contributor

Friday, 01:40 pm

7 COVID-19 deaths reported in Utah Friday, 552 more cases, but 144 from lab reporting delay

Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases has increased by 552 from Thursday, with seven more deaths reported, according to the Utah Department of Health.Health officials say Friday's total is "artificially high" — 144 of the cases reported Friday were from early July, and are being reported now due to a lab reporting delay.The state now estimates there are 8,937 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah. The rolling seven-day average number of positive cases per day is now at 369, according to the health department. The positive test rate per day for that time period is now 8.8%.For a full analysis of the Governor's weekly press conference and Utah's daily COVID-19 cases, click here.— Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Friday, 12:42 pm

Home prices climb to record in pandemic as buyers seek space

Tens of thousands of buyers dove into the housing market this spring and summer even as the coronavirus upended the U.S. economy. The presence of these buyers, plus a sharp drop in the numbers of homes on the market, drove home prices to record highs in most parts of the United States, according to an analysis of housing price data by The Associated Press and Core Logic.The average home price in the U.S. in May rose 4.2% compared to a year ago. The data shows that prices for cheaper homes — those found in the lower third of prices in metropolitan areas and a typical target for first-time buyers — grew faster than the rest of the market, rising 6.7% from a year ago.— Associated Press

Friday, 12:41 pm

US productivity rises 7.3% as hours worked are nearly halved

U.S. productivity rose at a 7.3% rate in the second quarter as the number of hours worked fell by nearly half, the biggest drop-off since the government started tracking the data more than 70 years ago.The Labor Department said Friday that output decreased 38.9%, also the biggest decline ever recorded as hours worked fell 43%, with the coronavirus pandemic sowing economic damage throughout the U.S.

Friday, 12:41 pm

Federal judge upholds New York's COVID-19 travel quarantine

A federal judge threw out a lawsuit by an Arizona woman who claimed New York’s 14-day quarantine requirement for travelers from hotspot coronavirus states infringed on her “fundamental right to travel.”U.S. District Court Judge David Hurd on Tuesday became at least the second federal judge to rule against challenges to the quarantines first ordered by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in June. The advisory currently covers travelers from 31 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.— Associated Press

Friday, 12:41 pm

Rural families without internet face tough choice on school

John Ross worries about his children returning to their classrooms this fall with coronavirus cases rising in Kentucky, but he feels he doesn't have much of a choice: His family's limited internet access makes it nearly impossible for the kids to keep up with schoolwork from home.“They’re going to have their education,” the father of three in rural Lee County said as he recalled his children’s struggles to do their work this spring over a spotty cellphone connection.Lee County, a community of around 7,000 people deep in the Appalachian Mountains, is one of many rural school districts around the country where the decision over whether to bring students back into classrooms is particularly fraught. As in other places, parents and officials are concerned about the virus, but dramatically limited internet access here also means kids could fall seriously behind if the pandemic keeps them home again.— Associated Press

Friday, 12:40 pm

Any attempt to get coronavirus herd immunity would lead to massive death tolls, Fauci warns

If the United States allowed coronavirus infections to run rampant to achieve possible herd immunity, the death toll would be massive, especially among vulnerable people, the nation's top infectious doctor said.Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, explained the risks during a live Instagram session."If everyone contracted it, even with the relatively high percentage of people without symptoms ... a lot of people are going to die," Fauci said.Read the full story here.— CNN

Friday, 12:40 pm

Another 1918 comparison: How a war, pandemic thumped college football in Utah a century ago

While what's happening to college sports now is extremely rare, it isn’t quite unprecedented. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, we’ve looked at several parallels to the 1918 influenza pandemic because, in many ways, it’s the last time a pandemic involving an unknown virus without a vaccine has deeply affected American life. We’ve looked at the pandemic as a whole, use of masks, and even lifting restrictions.Here’s another parallel: sports.In many ways, this will be the quietest fall in college sports since 1918 — although war was also to blame back then. Utah newspapers from the time carried hundreds of stories about sporting cancellations tied to two primary causes: World War I and, later, the influenza pandemic. They provide what it looked like as sporting events were canceled more than a century ago.Here’s a look at what happened to sports in Utah during the last widespread pandemic in U.S. history.Read the full story here.— Carter Williams, KSL.com

Friday, 11:04 am

Southern Utah COVID-19 cases slow in August

Southern Utah is seeing its lowest coronavirus case rates since the start of May, despite some events over the past two weeks that saw hundreds of people gathered in close proximity, many without face coverings.David Heaton, spokesperson for the Southwest Utah Public Health Department, which oversees the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic locally, said they have not discounted any possibilities with such a new virus.— Chris Reed, St. George News

Friday, 08:53 am

'In it for the 'long haul': Some Utahns say they've had coronavirus symptoms for months

In Utah, "recovery" from COVID-19 is defined by the health department as being three weeks from diagnosis. Many COVID-19 patients do in fact feel better by that time.But for Lisa O'Brien and many like her, the three-week mark has come and gone with little relief, leaving them to wonder: What's going on? And when will this end?— Graham Dudley, KSL.com

Friday, 08:52 am

Gephardt: ‘Financial crisis’ may loom for parents whose kids can’t return to class

Marla Love owns Arte Primero in Sugar House, where elementary-aged kids learn through art. In the summer, it’s an all-day summer camp. The other nine months of the year, Love offers an after-school program.This year will be different.When the Salt Lake City School District announced they will abandon in-person learning until at least October, Love said her phone exploded with desperate parents who cannot both work and home school.“How do we make it work?” she said parents asked.— Matt Gephardt and Sloan Schrage, KSL TV

Friday, 08:51 am

School districts preparing thousands of PPE kits for new year

As Utah students begin to head back to the classroom for the new school year, some teachers are concerned about personal protection from COVID-19.Officials with the Utah Education Association believe there should be a state standard for personal protection equipment for teachers.KSL talked with two of the largest school districts in the state, which believe they have good plans and equipment in place to protect teachers.— Jed Boal, KSL TV

Friday, 07:20 am

US retail sales regain pre-virus pace but slowdown is likely

Americans increased their retail purchases by 1.2% in July, with solid gains in appliances and clothing, restoring sales to their level before the viral pandemic erupted in March.Sales at retail stores and restaurants have now risen for three straight months, after enormous plunges in March and April, when the pandemic suddenly shuttered businesses and paralyzed the economy.— Associated Press

Friday, 07:20 am

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Back to school: Washington County School District starts classes

More help is needed, Utah tourism industry tells Sen. Romney

Gov. Gary Herbert providing COVID-19 update as Utah reports 334 new cases, 2 more deaths

Hospital official makes plea to Utahns needing any treatment: 'Don’t delay care'

Read all of yesterday's updates here.

Coronavirus updates: 552 new cases, 7 deaths; Herbert issues 2 new executive orders

By KSL.com Staff | Updated - Aug. 14, 2020 at 10:07 p.m. | Posted - Aug. 14, 2020 at 7:21 a.m.

(Jeffrey D. Allred, KSL, File)

Restrictions, not risk: New Utah executive orders update COVID-19 phase phrasing, school face mask guidelines

Arianne Brown: Lessons learned during the literal longest summer vacation ever

7 COVID-19 deaths reported in Utah Friday, 552 more cases, but 144 from lab reporting delay

Home prices climb to record in pandemic as buyers seek space

US productivity rises 7.3% as hours worked are nearly halved

Federal judge upholds New York's COVID-19 travel quarantine

Rural families without internet face tough choice on school

Any attempt to get coronavirus herd immunity would lead to massive death tolls, Fauci warns

Another 1918 comparison: How a war, pandemic thumped college football in Utah a century ago

Southern Utah COVID-19 cases slow in August

'In it for the 'long haul': Some Utahns say they've had coronavirus symptoms for months

Gephardt: ‘Financial crisis’ may loom for parents whose kids can’t return to class

School districts preparing thousands of PPE kits for new year

US retail sales regain pre-virus pace but slowdown is likely

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

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