SALT LAKE CITY – In anticipation of the Utah mask term that ends on April 10, the state is planning to make vaccines available to all adults in Utah by April 1, according to a statement from Governor Spencer Cox’s office on Tuesday. night.
“As soon as it became clear that the legislature planned to end the mask’s mandate immediately, and with a veto-proof majority, our government worked with them to postpone the date to vaccinate as much as possible,” said Cox spokeswoman Jennifer Napier Pearce, in a statement. “We anticipate that vaccine eligibility will open to all adults in the state on April 1 and we will likely have 1.5 million first doses in the state by April 10.”
Pearce emphasized the importance of individuals still wearing masks and noted that the term will continue after April 10 for schools and large gatherings. She also said that companies may still require masks after the mandate.
“Every day we are vaccinating more than 25,000 people,” said Cox on the last night of the 2021 legislative session, adding that if the majority of vulnerable Utahns are vaccinated, “then the restrictions don’t matter so much.”
“Therefore, we will not go through all of them before the potential mask’s mandate disappears, but we will go through many people,” he said, in addition to pointing out the importance of the remaining mandate for meetings with more than 50 people. And the governor said that if the pandemic worsens, the legislature can approve new restrictions.
A total of 573,525 Utahns received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 319,127 are now fully vaccinated, according to the Utah Department of Health. As of Tuesday, 878,487 vaccines had been administered in the state.
Vaccine implementation schedule
- March 4: adults aged 50 and over
- February 25: Utahns aged 16 and over with comorbidities
- February 16: Utahns aged 65 and over
- January 11: all teachers or employees of elementary and high schools
- December 10: Health professionals, residents and employees of long-term care facilities
Contributing: Ashley Fredde