Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As of May 15, at 1:00 p.m. Utah's private and public laboratories have administered 163,218 tests with 6,913 testing positive. There have been 566 total hospitalizations, with 102 currently hospitalized. There have been 77 fatalities, with an estimated 3,719 recovered. Additional information can be found here.

Friday, May 15th was also Peace Officers Memorial Day. I want to thank and acknowledge the sacrifice and hard work of our local, state, and federal peace officers. Here’s how Utah honored our peace officers.

Here are some COVID-19 updates:

• All areas of Utah, except for Grand, Summit, and Wasatch counties, Salt Lake City and West Valley City, will transition from the moderate (orange) risk to the low (yellow) risk phase of the Utah Leads Together plan this Saturday, May 16.

This low-risk phase will:

• No longer asks individuals to leave home infrequently.

• Raise size limits for private social interactions from 20 to 50 people.

• Allow team sports as long as there is frequent symptom checking and spectators are socially distant.

• Relax some swimming pool guidelines.

• Utah’s decision to move its health guidance from moderate risk (orange) to low risk (yellow) in Southeastern Utah does not apply to Navajo Nation lands located in Utah, as these are sovereign lands.

• Instructions and guidelines for individuals and businesses moving into the low-risk (yellow) phase of the Utah Leads Together plan can be found here. Instructions and guidelines for those still in the moderate risk (orange) phase can be found here. Information on the color-coded risk phases can be found here.

• The Utah State Board of Education reviewed updates to schools during the COVID-19 health crisis and looked at assistance coming to the state through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. They also reviewed the road map for looking at forthcoming budget cuts due to COVID-19. The Board agreed to seek a Rethink K-12 Education Models Grant to assist Utah in dealing with remote learning options. The full summary can be found here.

• The state has proposed a distribution method for the CARES Act local relief funds. The proposal can be found here.

• The Public Health and Economic Emergency Commission discussed the data driving recommendations to protect Utah’s vulnerable populations and allow the state to carefully transition to lower risk statuses. Watch the press conference here.

• The coronavirus.utah.gov dashboard has added a new tab with information regarding long-term care facilities with COVID-19 outbreaks. The tab can be found here. The dashboard has also updated their hospitalization tab to include mortality summary statistics, which can be found here.

• The Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs, in partnership with Avalon Healthcare, launched the Happiness for Heroes campaign. The goal is to share messages of support and hope to residents of Veterans' nursing homes. Read more here.

Many Parks have opened for the Summer. Here are the latest updates:

• Arches and Canyonlands national parks will be increasing recreational access starting May 29. Learn more here.

• The following Parks and Monuments have opened (Visitor Centers vary from location):

  • Dinosaur National Monument. Read more here.

  • Green River State Park. Though group sites remain closed through at least May 17. Groups of more than 20 people are prohibited. Read more here.

  • Natural Bridges National Monument. The Natural Bridges Visitor Center, bookstore and campground will remain closed. Learn more here.

  • Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Read more here.

  • Sahara Recreation Area. More information here.

  • Hovenweep National Monument. More information here.

Together we will keep working toward physical and economic recovery.