Republican Utah Gov. Spencer Cox countered an current masks mandate by exempting state buildings and the Utah Capitol.
Cox's workplace emailed steerage saying that masks are inspired, however not required, in a majority of state amenities. He stated native authorities guidelines don't cowl state buildings.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, a Democrat, stated Cox lacks the authority to make exemptions from the 30-day order issued amid a COVID surge as a result of Omicron variant.
The Salt Lake County Well being Division started the county mandate Friday. It's scheduled to remain in impact till Feb. 7 and got here after days of report case numbers.
The county council presiding over Utah's capital has a Republican majority and overturned a masks mandate previously. Nevertheless, Republican council members stated the Omicron surge's severity and disruption led to this rule staying in place.
On Sunday, Salt Lake County Council Chair Laurie Stringham, a Republican, stated she wouldn't name for a particular session to debate overturning the order. County leaders have cited a rise in circumstances amongst college students, staffing shortages in hearth and police stations, and lengthy testing strains.
The Utah Legislature, additionally with a Republican majority, may overturn the masks mandate as soon as it begins its annual session Jan. 18, based on the Deseret Information.
The order requires N95 and KN95 or comparable masks for a month in indoor areas, together with faculties, marking the primary masks mandate in lots of components of the county because the college yr began. Fabric masks are acceptable till a respirator could be obtained.
These masks are a confirmed safety from the virus, and public well being orders are the one instruments at the moment obtainable to get widespread use, Stringham stated.
"As a substitute of searching for our fellow man, now we have made this so extremely political, divisive and uncivil," she stated. The county has delivered N95 and KN95 masks to libraries and senior facilities for county residents to select up, and she or he referred to as on the state to maneuver extra out of storage.
County well being officers say training in regards to the goal of the order and supplying a masks to people in violation would be the main methodology of enforcement.
There are exemptions within the order, and college students do not want a physician's be aware in the event that they want exemptions for allowed causes.
The Omicron variant spreads much more simply than different coronavirus strains and has already change into dominant in lots of nations. It additionally extra simply infects those that have been vaccinated or had beforehand been contaminated by prior variations of the virus. Nevertheless, early research present Omicron is much less prone to trigger extreme sickness than the earlier Delta variant, and vaccination and a booster nonetheless supply sturdy safety from critical sickness, hospitalization, and loss of life.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
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