The 4 States That Have Paused Reopening Because COVID-19 Cases Are Spiking

2. Utah

On June 11, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert made a similar announcement. At the point, Brooke Scheffler, Herbert’s public information officer, told CNN that the state will stay in the “yellow” phase of re-opening, with the exception of one county— Salt Lake City, which would stay in the “orange” phase.

Herbert stated that he “doesn’t really want to take a step forward and then take a step backwards.” The governor’s office released an updated version of the state executive order on COVID-19, which specifies that the pause will remain in place until 26 June.

According to CNN, Utah state epidemiologist Angela Dunn, MD, said in the weeks before Memorial Day, the percentage of positive tests was around 4%. The trend increased to a 7% weekly average in the weeks following Memorial Day. As a consequence, Dunn suggested a “complete shutdown” for the state.