Coronavirus updates: Gov. mandates masks in schools; unemployment still record-high

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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, 10:50pm

Students will ‘rise to our expectations’ on mask wearing, superintendent says

Utah’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sydnee Dickson says students will rise to the expectations of their schools when it comes to wearing face masks. “I will say regardless of what feelings are about masks or no masks, I certainly think it’s important for every student to wear one. ... I want to put this out there that students rise to our expectations,” Dickson told the Utah State Board of Education on Thursday morning. — Marjorie Cortez, KSL

Thursday, 10:49pm

Mental health crisis hotline calls increase in Utah during pandemic

Calls to mental health crisis hotlines have increased markedly in Utah during the coronavirus pandemic even as mental health-related hospital visits decline and the suicide rate appears flat. That information, provided to KSL.com by the Utah Department of Health, shows a 13.6% year-over-year increase in calls to the Utah Crisis Line in May. In mid-June, Intermountain Healthcare's Emotional Health Relief Hotline experienced a one-week call increase of 20%. It has averaged about 35 calls per day since April. — Graham Dudley, KSL.com

Thursday, 10:47pm

Asking for 'personal sacrifice' and 'helping people': Utah’s governor faces ‘fine line’ politically on face masks

Gov. Gary Herbert’s decision to hold off on issuing a statewide mandate that face coverings be worn in public despite a continued climb in Utah’s COVID-19 cases appears to be his attempt to muzzle some of the political rhetoric about masks. “I don’t want this to become a divisive issue, which we already see,” the governor said. “Now, maybe that we’ve got past the campaigns for governor and others out there, maybe it will become less politicized, I hope. We don’t want to have a divisive situation where people rebel. I hope that doesn’t happen.” Utah is not joining some two dozen states including Texas, California, Nevada and Pennsylvania that require masks be worn in public because state legislative and business leaders as well as others agreed it’s best to try a voluntary approach first, Herbert said. He is giving Utahns until Aug. 1 to reduce the number of cases. — Lisa Riley Roche, KSL

Thursday, 03:13pm

Herbert announces mask mandate for K-12 schools as Utah sees 601 new COVID-19 cases, 4 deaths

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert on Thursday announced he will require students, teachers, staff, faculty and visitors at all K-12 schools in the state to wear masks for the fall semester as COVID-19 cases have surged in recent weeks. Herbert stopped short Thursday of requiring masks for all citizens statewide but said requiring masks at schools, even in rural areas, will help provide a safe environment for the state's education system. Also Thursday, Utah’s number of COVID-19 cases increased by 601 from Wednesday, with four new reported deaths, according to the Utah Department of Health. The new numbers indicate a 2.2% increase in positive cases since Wednesday. The health department now estimates there are 11,491 active cases of COVID-19 in Utah. For additional details on Utah's school mask mandate and the daily COVID-19 case numbers click here. — Jacob Klopfenstein, KSL.com

Thursday, 03:13pm

Jobless claims in Utah remain at historic level despite 3% drop in new applicants

Despite a 3.1% decrease in filings for traditional benefits, requests for unemployment assistance continue at historic levels in the Beehive State. The Department of Workforce Services reported Thursday the number of total new claims for unemployment compensation in Utah was 7,249 for the week of June 28 to July 4, while a total of $80.4 million was paid out in benefits. The number of people receiving traditional unemployment benefits for the week was 81,545, representing a 2.9% drop in weekly claims. Click here for a full analysis of the week's unemployment numbers. — Jasen Lee, KSL

Thursday, 09:56am

Husband of Utah nurse fighting for life in ICU

As health care workers do their part in the fight against COVID-19, a St. George nurse is now fighting her own battle. Toni Ferguson said she contracted the virus at work, and her husband is fighting for his life in the ICU. Ferguson and her husband, Clyde, both in their 60s, discussed the possibility of COVID-19 exposure. She works in a nursing home where there are patients with coronavirus. On June 12, she started feeling a tickle in her throat followed by a small cough. Read more of their story here. — Ashley Moser, KSL TV

Thursday, 09:56am

Extra $600 weekly unemployment payments to stop soon

Utah’s unemployment office is warning that weekly payments will get a lot smaller once the $600 stimulus add-ons cease at the end of July. “What’s going to happen is they will see an immediate decrease the following week,” said Kevin Burt, director of Utah’s Unemployment Insurance Division. “Instead of a full replacement wage, it will flip to about a 40 percent replacement wage.” — Ladd Egan, KSL TV

Thursday, 09:56am

Utah hospitals warn COVID-19 surge may overwhelm hospital staff, resources

Officials with the Utah Hospital Association said hospital resources will be overwhelmed by the end of the month if the state continues to see COVID-19 cases at the current rate. Greg Bell, president and CEO of the Utah Hospital Association, said while hospitals may not run out of ICU beds, they will experience shortages in medical personnel and technicians with proper training to treat COVID-19 patients. — Garna Mejia, KSL TV

Thursday, 06:58am

Layoffs stuck at high level as 1.3 million seek jobless aid

More than 1.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a historically high pace that shows that many employers are still laying people off in the face of a resurgent coronavirus. The persistently elevated level of layoffs are occurring as a spike in virus cases has forced six states to reverse their move to reopen businesses. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that the number of applications for unemployment aid fell from 1.4 million in the previous week. The figure has now topped 1 million for 16 straight weeks. Before the pandemic, the record high for weekly unemployment applications was fewer than 700,000. — Associated Press

Thursday, 06:46am

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

Utah sees new single-day COVID-19 record of 722 cases, 7 more deaths

Utah legislative leaders call for voluntary mask-wearing instead of state mandate ahead of Herbert decision

Who got PPP money in Utah and how much did they get? Here's what we know

'A hot mess': Americans face testing delays as virus surges to over 3 million

Read all of yesterday's COVID-19 news here

Coronavirus updates: Gov. mandates masks in schools; unemployment still record-high

Updated - July 9, 2020 at 10:54 p.m. | Posted - July 9, 2020 at 6:46 a.m.

(KSL TV, File)

Students will ‘rise to our expectations’ on mask wearing, superintendent says

Mental health crisis hotline calls increase in Utah during pandemic

Asking for 'personal sacrifice' and 'helping people': Utah’s governor faces ‘fine line’ politically on face masks

Herbert announces mask mandate for K-12 schools as Utah sees 601 new COVID-19 cases, 4 deaths

Jobless claims in Utah remain at historic level despite 3% drop in new applicants

Husband of Utah nurse fighting for life in ICU

Extra $600 weekly unemployment payments to stop soon

Utah hospitals warn COVID-19 surge may overwhelm hospital staff, resources

Layoffs stuck at high level as 1.3 million seek jobless aid

ICYMI: Catch up on coronavirus developments from yesterday

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