San Juan County declares public health emergency
San Juan County has declared a Public Health State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Officials state that the designation is a preventive move intended to protect vulnerable populations in the community, such as the elderly, and persons with underlying health conditions.
The official designation, signed by Public Health Director Kirk Benge and San Juan County Attorney Kendall Laws, can be downloaded here; see pdf at bottom of article.
Officials stress that the immediate health risk from COVID-19 to the general public remains low and there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in San Juan County at this time.
When the virus was still mostly confined to China, two county residents were identified as possibly traveling through a contaminated area and were carefully monitored.
Benge said that while the two residents were never exposed and didn’t meet any of the at-risk guidelines, “It was good practice for us to take it seriously.”
“We can all contribute to a healthy community, and we appreciate your willingness to help protect the health of all Utahns,” said Benge.
San Juan Public Health encourages the public to continue to wash your hands and avoid touching your face, stay home if you are sick, and limit large gatherings or social events to 100 or fewer people.
In addition, those who are immunocompromised or older than 60 years should avoid gatherings or social events of more than 20 people.
For questions or more information, call the Utah Coronavirus Information Line at 1-800-456-7707, or visit coronavirus.utah.gov or cdc.gov/coronavirus.