Governor Herbert Releases Economic Response Plan

March 26, 2020

On Tuesday, March 24, 2020, Governor Herbert unveiled the state economic response plan entitled, “Utah Leads Together”.  The Plan is an attempt to balance public health imperatives with economic needs.  The goal is to provide Utah businesses and residents with clarity and specifics about Utah’s plan for a health and economic recovery. The plan identifies three process phases.

• Urgent Phase during which every effort is made to slow the community spread of COVID-19. (8-12 Weeks)
• Stabilization Phase during which efforts are made to further reduce the spread, job loss flattens and restrictions start to loosen (10-14 Weeks)
• Recovery Phase during which virus is under control and job growth returns.  (8-10 Weeks)

Link to the Utah Leads Together plan is below.

Statewide Shutdown Considerations

 Many states including our neighbors in Idaho, Colorado and Nevada, have made shelter-in-place declarations limiting citizens to stay at home with the exception of grocery shopping, medical appointments, performing essential jobs, etc.  Life Science companies are typically included as Essential and remain operational under a shutdown or shelter-in-place order.  Presently, Summit County has made such a declaration affecting businesses and citizens in that county.  Salt Lake County is also considering such an order.  The purpose of the state economic response plan was to hopefully avoid a statewide shutdown.  As of the present time there is no indication that a statewide shutdown order is forthcoming, but it is a fluid situation and could change hourly.

Regardless of any shutdown order, it is critical that businesses remaining open take extreme measures to protect their employees.   Such measures as social distancing, ample supply of hand sanitizer, frequent hand washing, regular cleaning of common surfaces, symptom monitoring, policy to prevent symptomatic employees from being on the job, prohibitions of employees coming to work who believe they have been exposed to COVID-19, and appropriate sick leave policies and family leave policies.

See the Plan