The COVID-19 pandemic in Utah was part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) The first case of COVID-19 in Utah was reported on March 6, 2020. The patient was believed to have been exposed while aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship. Residents stockpiled goods, large conferences were made remote-only, postponed, or cancelled; a state of emergency was declared, and some public universities and other colleges switched to online-only classes. After the first case of community spread was found on March 14, Utah faced a shortage of testing kits, and public schools were ordered to be closed. Community spread was confirmed in more counties, and the state issued a public health order prohibiting dine-in service in restaurants and gatherings of more than 10 people except in grocery stores. A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck the Wasatch Front on March 18, 2020, hampering the pandemic response.
In late March 2020, Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, Morgan, Tooele, Summit, and Wasatch counties directed people to stay at home except for essential activities. In April 2020, the state briefly ordered all adults entering the state to fill out an online travel declaration. It established phased guidelines for the public to follow and moved from the "red" phase to the "orange" phase at the start of May, advising people to leave home infrequently, staying six feet away from others and wearing face masks when in public.
In May 2020, the "yellow" guidelines went into effect in most of the state, advising people to continue to stay six feet away from others when outside the home and to wear face coverings when social distancing was difficult to maintain. Cases sharply spiked in June, driven by outbreaks in work sites. About 1% of the population across four counties had antibodies. Independence Day fireworks were cancelled or modified in several cities. Cases continued to increase through July 2020 but fell by the next month and continued downward as schools began to open under a statewide mask requirement. Schools began having multiple outbreaks going into September 2020 as cases in the state began to trend upward overall.
Local food trucks coordinated by the Food Truck League also delivered meals to health-care workers at hospitals across Utah during the pandemic.
Timeline
February 2020 On February 27, State Epidemiologist Angela Dunn discouraged the stockpiling of toilet paper, face masks, and food and affirmed the integrity of the public water supply.
On February 29, the first known coronavirus patient to enter Utah was flown into the state to be kept in quarantine. He was a Utah resident and was a passenger on the cruise ship , though he was not initially considered to be an official case. He was diagnosed in California and was asymptomatic. On March 2, Governor Gary Herbert noted the panic-buying of bottled water and discouraged it.
March 2020 On March 2, Herbert appointed Lieutenant Governor Spencer Cox, who was running for governor, to head the state's coronavirus task force.
On March 3, the Qualtrics tech convention was cancelled after the Domopalooza conference had already been cancelled the week before. Domopalooza, with an expected attendance of 3,000, was expected to bring in $2.7 million into the state economy. Qualtrics was expected to have 16,000 attending. Two universities suspended study-abroad programs, with the University of Utah suspending trips to Washington state and Florida.
On March 5, the recently established Utah Coronavirus Task Force criticized a video in which President Donald Trump suggested that coronavirus patients could continue going to work. Lt. Gov. Cox ordered the Task Force to delete its statement the next day.
On March 6, Governor Herbert declared a state of emergency. The Department of Health confirmed that a former passenger on the Grand Princess was the first (presumptive) case of coronavirus in Utah. Weber County reported a confirmed case on March 10, the second in the state, in a woman who had traveled both domestically and abroad.
On March 8, the University of Utah Hospital set up negative-pressure tents to assess patients for the coronavirus.
On March 11, Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert became the first NBA player to test positive for the coronavirus, prompting the NBA to suspend its season. Several teams were told to self-quarantine. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS Church), which is headquartered in Utah, announced that the April General Conference would be held without a congregation and that the flagship Missionary Training Center (MTC) would switch to videoconferencing.
On March 12, Governor Herbert recommended that all gatherings of more than 100 should be cancelled for the next two weeks. All colleges and universities in the state announced that all classes would be moved online for the remainder of the semester. The LDS Church announced that all gatherings would be cancelled worldwide until further notice. Intermountain Healthcare and University of Utah Health announced that they will launch six drive-through testing locations. On March 13, a shortage of hand sanitizer prompted the state to ration bottles of Everclear grain alcohol.
On March 13, Governor Herbert announced that all school districts in the state would enact "soft closure" for two weeks beginning Monday, March 16.
On March 14, the first Utah case of community transmission, also known as community spread, was confirmed in Summit County.
On March 15, there was a shortage of diagnostic tests, with the state lab able to test 41 patients per day. Several ski resorts closed in addition to the ones already closed. Summit County ordered a 30-day shutdown of public businesses and churches except grocery stores. Salt Lake County closed its two convention centers after it already closed Abravanel Hall, the Clark Planetarium, several theaters, senior centers, libraries, rec centers, and golf courses. The county released a statement saying, "Although Salt Lake County is not currently experiencing community transmission, the County is taking precautionary measures to prevent the potential spread of the disease."
On March 16, the remaining passengers of the Grand Princess who were Utah residents were returned to the state to be put in quarantine. Community spread was confirmed in Wasatch County. Salt Lake County ordered all restaurants to stop admitting guests inside except to pick up food for take-out. Restaurants are permitted to take orders online, by telephone, and in drive-thrus. Curbside service is allowed, but staff who take cash or credit card payments must use cleansing measures between each transaction. The Salt Lake City Marathon in April was cancelled. Hogle Zoo and Dinosaur National Monument were closed. The Intermountain Healthcare and University of Utah Health systems announced the postponement of nonemergency surgeries and doctor appointments in preparation of a possible influx of coronavirus patients. Smith's grocery stores reported a surge in demand for essential items. The Utah Food Industry Association released a statement to discourage hoarding. The state government warned that price gouging is illegal during a state of emergency. US Senator Mitt Romney called for every worker to receive $1,000 from the government. A bill to send $1,200 to most Americans was introduced, debated, passed, and signed into law within two weeks.
On March 17, the LDS Church ordered all nonnative missionaries removed from the Philippines. Public businesses were ordered closed in southeastern counties covering Moab where many travelers were expected. Westminster College postponed its commencement ceremonies. The state issued a public health order prohibiting dine-in service in restaurants for two weeks and gatherings of more than 10 individuals, with an exception for grocery stores. Community spread was confirmed in Utah County.
On March 18, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake took down the coronavirus hotline, and a temporary hotline was installed. The earthquake also disrupted COVID-19 testing. The Dominion Energy gas utility stopped disconnections for nonpayment. All public universities and colleges postponed their commencement ceremonies. Community spread was confirmed in Davis County. Ben McAdams, representative for Utah's 4th congressional district, tested positive for COVID-19.
On March 19, City Creek Center announced that it would close, and Salt Lake County banned gatherings of more than 10 people for 30 days. On March 20, the state announced that it intended to postpone the deadline for filing state taxes. University Health announced that it will offer drive-up assessments; it had already set up drive-up testing stations. On March 22, the first fatality in Utah occurred. The victim was a man in his 60s who had tested positive the previous day and had a history of respiratory difficulties.
On March 23, hundreds of people gathered in a large crowd at the Salt Lake City International Airport to welcome 1,600 returning missionaries, prompting criticism from the state government. Testing labs announced that anyone with symptoms would be allowed to be tested. Previously, testing was restricted to those who had contact with known COVID-19 patients or who traveled to areas with widespread infection. On March 24, the state ordered that all elective surgeries and procedures shall be postponed. Governor Herbert unveiled a three-phase, nine-month plan called "Utah Leads Together". The three phases progress from urgent short-term steps, to economic stabilization, and to full economic recovery. Salt Lake City police reported a 30% increase in domestic violence calls. The Department of Environmental Quality warned residents not to flush toilet paper substitutes. State Tax Commissioner John Valentine announced that the Utah Tax Commission would meet on the 26th to extend the deadlines for both payment and filing of state income taxes to July 15 in order to match up with the federal government's extension. Salt Lake County Councilman Arlyn Bradshaw tested positive for the virus after showing symptoms for several days, which he later said was a case of community spread.
On March 25, many grocery store chains installed glass shields at checkout counters to protect employees and customers. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez issued a stay-at-home order for all residents of Navajo Nation, which overlaps Utah. Summit County issued a stay-at-home order, requiring that "All individuals currently living within Summit County, Utah are ordered to stay at their place of residence" effective March 27 to May 1 inclusive, but "may leave their residences only for 'Essential Activities'..." (defined in the order). Community spread was confirmed in Washington County.
On March 27, Governor Herbert issued a directive for Utahns to voluntarily begin staying at home, and Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall signed a proclamation directing all people living in the city to stay at home except for essential travel.
On March 28, Uintah County announced its first case in a man who contracted the virus through community spread after traveling to the Wasatch Front, later reported to be Salt Lake County. Salt Lake County also said that it was tracking more than 70 "presumed positive" cases that are not tallied in the county's official count of 221 cases. The state health department said it doesn't track presumed positive cases because the CDC doesn't have a uniform definition for how to count these cases, and so the criteria varies between health departments.