“Our number one goal all along has been the desire and the need to keep kids in school,” Cox said. “We have done that as well, if not better, than any other state.”

The change was made official in a new public health order changes the mask requirement to end on the “Monday of the last week of the 2020-21 school year or, in the case of non-traditional school, May 31, 2021.”

Gov. Cox said the move was done in consultation with several school district superintendents who expressed a desire for the requirement to be lifted, but masks are still encouraged.

“Give kids an opportunity to see their teachers, to see their friends, to spend that last week together without masks, if they so choose,” Cox said.

School districts still have the option to continue mask mandates in their schools if they feel there is still a substantial COVID-19 threat.

Information on COVID-19 cases in schools can be found on our case counts page (under the “Schools” tab).

Also at the briefing, Gov Cox stressed the need for Utahns to get vaccinated, noting that vaccinations across the country have slowed.

“This is how we get out of this pandemic forever,” Cox said. “This is the thing that prevents it from coming back in the fall.”

State officials will start exploring incentive options to encourage those who haven’t received the COVID-19 vaccine to do so. Businesses and organizations can also request a mobile vaccination clinic to help make the vaccine more accessible.

“This is the natural next step in getting the state and people’s lives back to normal,” Gov. Cox said. “I believe in the value of work. With the nation’s lowest unemployment rate at 2.9% and plenty of good paying jobs available today, it makes sense to transition away from these extra benefits that were never intended to be permanent. The market should not be competing with government for workers.”

Approximately 28,000 Utahns are currently receiving this additional $300-per-week federal benefit. Of those, 11,000 are receiving federal extended benefits, 2,500 individuals receive federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and 200 receive federal Mixed-Earner Unemployment Compensation. Currently, federal pandemic unemployment assistance in Utah totals $12.4 million a week. 

With the state’s economic recovery in full swing, there is no shortage of jobs in Utah. The Department of Workforce Services website, jobs.utah.gov, has 50,000 available job openings, while job listings aggregator Help Wanted shows 72,000 available jobs in Utah. 

“As employers compete for workers, we are ready to help those local businesses recruit and hire employees,” said Casey Cameron, executive director of the Department of Workforce Services. “For job seekers, we can provide career coaching, education assistance, job search help and more, either online or in-person at an employment center. For many workers, this transition can be a great time to gain additional skills and open doors to new opportunities.”

Utah’s business community applauded the move.

“All across Utah, in a variety of industries, we are seeing the significant need for new employees,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance. “The challenge our economy currently faces is not the scarcity of well-paying jobs, but the lack of workers. For our state to remain a national economic leader and for our communities to be prosperous, we need to normalize the labor market by assisting those currently unemployed to find opportunities to rejoin the workforce as soon as possible.”

For those who need help finding employment, the state is an incredible resource. Through the Learn and Work program, the state of Utah and the Utah System of Higher Education have dedicated $16.5 million to help more than 5,700 individuals get training and find better employment opportunities. Over the next several weeks an additional $15 million will be awarded to training institutions throughout the state to help those who want to upgrade their skills to enhance employment opportunities. Funding is also available for career and education advancement through Workforce Services.

For those still struggling due to the pandemic, other safety net programs are available such as rent, utility, food and medical assistance. For more information about additional pandemic relief programs and details about the federal unemployment insurance programs ending, visit jobs.utah.gov.

View the full new executive order here

Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson are excited to announce the launch of the Lieutenant Governor’s returnship initiative to expand workforce opportunities in Utah. A returnship, similar to an internship, provides an important opportunity for those re-entering the workforce after an absence to build their resume and gain current and relevant experience. 

Gov. Cox and Lt. Gov. Henderson announced the initiative at their weekly COVID-19 news briefing.

In addition to an executive order for state agencies to create more opportunities, $15 million in new grant funding will be initiated for the Learn & Work program. The Learn & Work program supplies funding to Utah colleges and universities to provide no-cost training to qualified students. Programs, including returnships developed between education and industry partners, will be prioritized for funding.

Executive Order 2021-8, Expanding Return to Work and Returnship Opportunities in Utah, will require state agencies to identify new returnship opportunities that can be offered. Utah state government will be the first state nationwide to offer returnships.

“We need industry, government and education to come together and help individuals who want to re-engage in the economy find meaningful professional opportunities. We also want to optimize training opportunities through our local colleges and universities,” said Lt. Gov. Henderson. “Our state agencies will lead the way and show all employers that returnships can help them develop talent as well as improve prospects for so many workers in our community.”

Learn & Work in Utah programs will continue to support educational and training pathways in partnership with employers providing resume-building experiences. The success of the original round of Learn & Work in Utah, launched in the summer of 2020, resulted in the state Legislature providing additional funding to support skills-development courses throughout the state. Talent Ready Utah and the Utah System of Higher Education are working closely together to launch the application for another round of funding starting on April 1, 2021.

Learn & Work in Utah will aid individuals by providing tuition assistance to those who enroll in short-term training programs to re-enter or upgrade to more stable workforce positions. Career opportunities will be found in numerous high-impact industries, including computer science, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and business.

“The Utah System of Higher Education is proud to partner with our local employers through Learn & Work in Utah,” said Commissioner David Woolstenhulme, Utah Commissioner for Higher Education. “Our training programs and partnerships with employers are intended to connect individuals with career opportunities while providing employers with a well-prepared workforce.”

Learn more at ltgovernor.utah.gov.

Additional help for employees and employers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic can be found at coronavirus-stage.at.utah.gov/business.

About the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) 

Under Gov. Spencer J. Cox’s direction, the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) provides resources and support for business creation, growth, and recruitment. It also drives increased tourism, film production, outdoor recreation, and mixed martial arts in Utah. Talent Ready Utah, an initiative managed by GOED, develops industry and education partnerships to help build Utah’s workforce. Utilizing state resources and private sector contracts, GOED administers programs in economic areas that demonstrate the highest potential for development and the most opportunity for Utahns. Learn more at business.utah.gov or by calling (801) 538-8680.

About the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE)

The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) is governed by the Utah Board of Higher Education and is compromised of Utah’s sixteen public colleges and universities. The CEO of USHE is the Commissioner of Higher Education. For more information, visit ushe.edu.

Let’s be clear, elected officials do not decide when a pandemic is “over.” COVID-19 will remain in our society long after the official “pandemic” period has passed. These bills represent balancing the desire by the Legislature to decrease restrictions across the state with the need to remain diligent in protecting the health of all Utahns. 

Broken down, this is what each of these bills mean to the COVID-19 response: 

HB 294 – “Pandemic Emergency Powers Amendments” 

Signed by Governor Cox on 3/24/21

This bill ends certain restrictions put into place by executive and public health orders related to COVID-19. The termination of those restrictions is based on specific, data driven milestones; for example, case rates, ICU utilization, and vaccine availability . 

The final version of the bill says restrictions will end once Utah’s 14-day case rate reaches a level below 191 per 100,000, the state’s ICU seven-day hospitalization rate is less than 15%, and at least 1.63 million prime doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been allocated to the state. While we anticipate these thresholds will be met by July 1, 2021, should we see another spike in cases, public health officials will work with Utah’s elected leaders to implement appropriate safety measures after this date. 

The bill removes the statewide mask mandate on April 10 regardless of meeting the metrics stated above. However, masks can still be required for group gatherings of more than 50 people. County governments still have the ability to enact local restrictions if they choose. These local restrictions would end once the state meets the metrics previously stated. 

The bill also allows private businesses the ability to keep mask requirements in place if they choose. Please be respectful of business owners and staff at businesses that choose to require masks in their buildings. Likewise, please be respectful of individuals who don’t feel it necessary to wear masks where they’re not required. 

The bill also keeps in place the mask mandate and other safety measures for public K-12 schools until, at the latest, July 1, 2021. School districts should continue to work with their local health departments to ensure the health and safety of all of Utah’s school aged children. 

Even after statewide restrictions and mask mandates have been lifted, guidance set forth in the Utah Transmission Index, COVID-19 Business Manual, COVID-19 School Manual and on the Protect Yourself page related to quarantine and isolation is valuable and should be considered when meeting with others outside your household. The Utah Department of Health still encourages the use of face masks as an effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. 

You can read the full bill here. 

SB 107 – “In-Person Instruction Prioritization”

Signed by Governor Cox on 3/24/21

This bill is intended to keep schools open and kids in the classroom. It requires the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) to support widespread testing under certain conditions so that schools can continue to operate in-person. 

So-called “soft-closures” are no longer be allowed. Public health departments would assist school districts in conducting “Test to Stay” procedures when schools have reached the following points in cases: 

• 2% positivity if schools have 1,500+ students

-OR-

• 30 positive cases if schools have fewer than 1,500 students

Schools could choose to implement “Test to Stay” prior to meeting the above threshold.

As part of the  “Test to Stay” process, school districts must have a parent’s permission to test students younger than 18. 

In addition, the bill would require schools to offer in-person instruction at least 4 days a week starting March 21, 2021. 

You can read the full bill here.

SB 195 – “Emergency Response Amendments” 

Signed by Governor Cox on 3/24/21

This bill changes the process by which the governor and UDOH can declare emergency situations in the state. The intent is to ensure state and locally elected officials are involved with the decisions around a state of emergency, especially when an extended response might be required.  

Under this bill, UDOH is required to provide at least a 24-hour notice to the Legislative Emergency Response Committee before declaring a Public Health Emergency (PHE) or issuing an Order of Constraint (OC). An OC is described as a rule or order that limits public activities. 

Following that process, this bill allows the Legislature, by Joint Resolution, to overturn a PHE Order/Declaration/or OC at any time. This bill also authorizes the Legislature to cancel any emergency declarations made by the governor by the same process. 

This bill also places a 30-day maximum time limit on any PHE or OC starting the day that it is issued. The Legislature may extend any of those orders as well. The UDOH and the governor do have the ability to extend a PHE or State of Emergency on their own when certain “exigent circumstances” arise (exigent circumstances are defined in section 52-2a-203 of the bill). The UDOH must give the state Legislature at least 10 days notice before they intend to extend a PHE. This does not prohibit the UDOH from issuing a subsequent PHE after the original one expires, but it will be subject to the same expiration time frame and legislative override. Also, if the Legislature does override any PHE, one cannot be reissued for the same circumstances. 

This bill also creates a legislative response committee to review emergency declarations and situations that could result in a long-term emergency situation for the state.  

These same rules are applied to local emergency declarations and orders as well, meaning a county can only declare an emergency or put an order in place if they’ve first given at least 24-hour notice to their county elected officials. 

You can read the full bill here.

“We have next week about 15% of our doses that are available, have not been scheduled out yet,” Cox said. “So we do have doses available in many health districts.”

The state had originally anticipated opening up eligibility by April 1. Cox said the move was done out of a desire to keep demand ahead of supply to ensure that all doses are used, as well as move forward with the state’s plan of providing an equitable distribution to all Utahns.

“We’re also concerned about the equity piece; about hard-to-reach populations,” Cox said. “When we go into those places, we want to be able to vaccinate everyone. That’s the best way to do that.”

Cox asked Utahns to be patient and recognize that it may still take a few weeks to get an appointment as vaccine supplies are limited. Utahns are also encouraged to wait and be patient as providers adjust their systems and protocols to the new eligibility.

You can watch the entire news conference here.

Where Can I Get an Appointment?

• Our Vaccine Distribution page has information on where to get an appointment. Information is categorized by provider type (Health Departments, Healthcare Providers, and Pharmacies). 
• VaccineFinder.org is another site, maintained by the federal government where people can search for appointments by vaccination type.
• If you live between along the Wasatch Front (between Vineyard and Centerville) and are having a hard time finding an appointment, you may also try GetMyShot.Utah.gov. This site tracks mobile vaccination clinics and often has more availability.

We’ll continue to work on making it easier for you both to get an appointment and to find available appointments.

Things to keep in mind about getting the vaccine.

Appointments may be hard to find so please don’t get discouraged and keep trying. Each health department and provider receives different amounts of vaccines. Currently, Utah is receiving 67,000 prime doses each week, but by the end of March, we anticipate receiving more than 90,000 doses each week and we hope for increases from the federal government after that. 

If you’ve already had one dose of a two-dose vaccine, please get the second dose at the same place where you got your first dose. The provider who gave you your first dose reserved a second dose for you. If you don’t return to the same place, that provider will end up with unused doses or not enough second doses for people when they need it at some locations.

Vaccines are free. You may be asked for insurance information, but you don’t need insurance to be vaccinated.

You don’t have to be a U.S. citizen or resident to get the vaccine. You may be asked for some kind of identification. This is used by providers for reporting. But you do not need to prove citizenship to get a vaccine.

Don’t forget that Utah’s mask mandate is still in effect until April 10. Even after that date, masks can still be required for gatherings of 50 or more people. Private businesses can also still require masks after this date. And the school mask mandate won’t go away until July at the latest.

We’re making incredible progress in the fight against the pandemic! More than 1 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in Utah. Our 7-day rolling average for cases is the lowest it’s been since September 13. That was the last time we were under 500 cases per day. Almost our entire population now lives in moderate or low transmission counties. We’re getting there together! Thanks for doing your part.

“More than 4,000 volunteers have signed up to help with the COVID vaccine response statewide over the past few weeks, and it was a thrill to see folks in action,” Gov. Cox said. “Volunteers, our local health departments and all of our vaccine partners are helping us get as many shots in arms as quickly as we can. We’re so grateful for their help in beating this virus.”

The Davis County Health Department is one of many vaccine providers located throughout the state. The Legacy Events Center, where the governor and lieutenant governor served, is a drive-thru clinic with 30 stations which can serve up to 350 cars per hour. The clinic operates Monday-Saturday from  10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and has administered over 85,000 doses of vaccine to date. About 120 volunteers are used to assist in administering vaccinations each week. 

Clinic partners include the Utah National Guard, Davis School District, Roseman University (nursing and pharmacy programs) and Davis Technical College. Also, the Tanner Clinic will join the partnership very soon.

In an effort to ensure access to multicultural communities, the clinic offers instruction and support in ASL (American Sign Language), French, German, Haitian, Igbo, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, Mandarin Chinese, Norwegian, Portuguese, Shona, Spanish and Arabic.

So far, 936,681 vaccine doses have been administered in the state of Utah and we expect that number to increase rapidly as more doses are sent to the state. 

To make a vaccination appointment, visit https://coronavirus.utah.gov/vaccine-distribution. The site lists all providers including local health departments, local pharmacies and health care providers.  

“So many have suffered through this pandemic,” said Gov. Spencer J. Cox. “A third authorized vaccine tells me that even through some of our darkest times, miracles still happen. This is a testament to modern research, science, public health and medicine. We are in a race to save as many lives as possible through vaccines. This vaccine will do that. Remember, all three vaccines are safe and effective. You can have confidence that any of them will protect you and those around you from COVID-19.”

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine is authorized for people age 18 and up.

Once Utah receives doses, we will begin distributing them according to the eligibility standards we already have in place. We still await guidance from the CDC on how the vaccine will be recommended for use, but a single-dose vaccine, like this one, has great potential to protect people who may be less likely to be able to get a second dose. It is easier to store and gives us the ability to get the vaccine to more communities throughout Utah. 

For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, please visit our vaccine information page.

“We have so many more vaccines coming and they’re coming soon,” Cox said in this week’s COVID-19 media briefing. “We’re prioritizing theses individuals, again based on age and these underlying comorbidities because they are at the greatest risk of hospitalization or death.”

The list of approved underlying conditions that qualify an individual to receive the vaccine can be found on our vaccine distribution page.

Cox asked the public to be patient with pharmacies and local health departments as they adapt to the change and update their appointment systems to accommodate the new eligibility requirements.

Please note that only the Pfizer vaccine has been approved by the CDC for administration to individuals aged 16 and 17.

Opening up vaccine eligibility to this new group comes earlier than anticipated under the original vaccine distribution timeline. Cox said he’s been impressed with the speed at which providers have been able to administer vaccines and is committed to moving up the timeline whenever possible.

“In just one week we have given a first dose of vaccine to 29% of Utahns between the age of 65 and 69,” Cox said.

Also at Thursday’s briefing, Cox announced that effective immediately Utahns will be able to schedule an appointment with any health department, rather than just with the health department where they live. This change is being made to make COVID-19 vaccines more accessible to those who want them.

When making an appointment, keep in mind that Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses approximately three to four weeks apart. You will need to receive your second dose at the same location as your first. Please plan accordingly. You can find a list of health department contact information, as well as links to local pharmacies that are administering vaccines on our vaccine distribution page.

View the full new executive order here.

More information on the state’s vaccine distribution plan can be found on our Vaccine Distribution page.