Utah’s governor to reassess plans as infections rise

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert is preparing to meet with his command team on Monday to reassess how the state is handling the coronavirus outbreak.

The 1,117 cases reported Friday in Utah surpassed the record of about 875 hit twice in July, according to state data.

That tally raised the state’s rolling average number of daily new coronavirus cases to 726, more than double the 381 just one week ago. The state’s positive rate hit 12.5 percent Friday, up from 8.2 percent one month ago.

“For months, we have warned people that they need to stay home if they are sick, and they need to stay away from others if they have tested positive for COVID-19,” Herbert said. “They need to wear a mask around others, even when they are not sick. We all need to consider the common public good when making daily decisions, and frankly, there is no room for lackadaisical behavior.”

He said Thursday that he’s considering a state mask mandate.

Utah County south of Salt Lake City is fueling the spike, with the county accounting for about 40 percent of the state’s new cases this past week even though its population makes up just 20 percent of the state’s 3.2 million residents.

The county’s rate of about 76 cases per 100,000 people is more than double any other county’s. The rate in the state’s most populous county of Salt Lake County was 34 cases per 100,000 people.

In other developments:

■ The pandemic is prompting Arizona State University to shorten its fall semester by a week, with any instruction during the one remaining week after the Nov. 26-27 Thanksgiving break conducted virtually. Arizona health officials on Saturday reported 610 additional coronavirus cases and 16 deaths, increasing the statewide totals to 213,551 confirmed cases and 5,467 deaths.

■ State officials on Saturday reported 164 additional COVID-19 cases with six additional deaths in New Mexico, increasing its totals to 27,512 cases and 847 deaths.

■ Honolulu liquor and law enforcement officials said they have arrested multiple people and closed down a sports bar for violating restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.