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It’s Sunday, April 19. We’ll provide the latest coronavirus updates involving Utah throughout the day.
[Read complete coronavirus coverage here.]
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4:40 p.m.: Senior missionary Allen Dee Pace dies from COVID-19
A senior missionary, Allen Dee Pace, 68, died Saturday due to complications from COVID-19, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced in a news release Sunday.
(Courtesy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) Allen Dee Pace, age 68 of Willard, Utah, has died of the coronavirus. Pace was serving a senior mission with his wife, Nedra, in Detroit when he became ill.
Pace and his wife, Nedra, are from Willard and had been serving in the Michigan Detroit Mission since December 2019.
Pace became ill in mid-March and, shortly thereafter, went into the care of his wife and daughter in a nearby state. The 68-year-old was diagnosed with the coronavirus in early April, the release noted. Pace and his wife had not yet been formally released from missionary service prior to his death.
“We express our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Elder Pace as they mourn his passing,” church spokesman Daniel Woodruff said, “and we continue to pray for all who are impacted by this pandemic.”
— Norma Gonzalez
3:45 p.m.: BBB scam alert: Think twice before taking that Facebook quiz
For those stuck at home, that Facebook quiz you're about to take seems like a fun way to kill five minutes of boredom, but it could also provide scammers access to personal and financial information, the Davis County Sheriff's Office warned in a tweet.
The organization’s tweet included a link to the Better Business Bureau article that explains how social media quizzes could put you at risk.
Some quizzes collect personal information by asking questions like: “What is your mother’s maiden name? Or “What is the name of the street you grew up on?” Those examples are common security questions for banking and credit card accounts. Not all social media quizzes are data collection scams, but BBB cautions users to be careful about what they share online. The data collected through social media and quiz answers can be used to steal your identity or enable a scammer to impersonate you to your friends and family.
The BBB share the following tips on how to avoid social media scams:
Be skeptical: Before you take a quiz, figure out who created it. Is it a brand you trust? Just because something appears to be fun and innocent, doesn’t mean there isn’t an inherent risk.
Adjust privacy settings: Review your social media account’s privacy settings and be strict about what information you share — and be mindful of who you are sharing it with.
Remove personal details from your profile: Don’t share information like your phone number or home address on social media accounts.
Don't give answers to common security questions: Be cautious if the questions in a quiz ask for things like your mother's maiden name, street you grew up on, or the name of your high school.
Monitor Friend Requests. Don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know. Also be wary of a second friend request from someone you are already connected with; the second profile may be an imposter trying to access your data and your Friends list.
— Norma Gonzalez
Hill Air Force Base to switch from making parachutes to making masks
Hill Air Force Base’s 531st Amendment Textile Shop is switching gears from sewing parachutes to sewing masks.
The Aircrew Flight Equipments Specialists will be making masks for Team Hill and can produce more than 600 masks a day. Using a prioritized supply system, the face masks will be distributed to units across Hill Air Force Base.
In early April, the Utah National Guard made a similar announcement. Parachute riggers were trying their hands at making masks from old uniforms to try to provide facial coverings to service members whose jobs put them in places where they cannot maintain 6 feet of distance from others.
— Norma Gonzalez
1,200 Utah meatpacking and food processing workers to see a pay bump, increased safety measures
More than 250,000 meatpacking and food processing workers nationwide, including 1,200 workers in Hyrum, Utah, will see a $4-per-hour pay increase and bigger safety measures take place, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union announced Sunday.
The agreement is made with JBS — the leading processor of beef and pork in the United States.
“In the face of this pandemic, the safety of JBS workers and all our meatpacking members is paramount,” UFCW International president Marc Perrone said. “The UFCW has worked throughout this national health crisis to ensure that our union members are protected and millions of Americans continue to have access to the food they need.”
As part of the new agreement, JBS employees will receive the additional $4-an-hour wage increase starting April 20, lasting through May 30. It will be in addition to the previously announced $600 bonus. JBS employees will also have access to enhanced personal protection equipment like masks, gloves and face shields, and the company will be installing plexiglass shields in areas of plants where social distancing is not possible.
Cafeterias and breakrooms in JBS plants will also be expanded to allow workers to practice social distancing and enhanced cleaning in common areas, and plants will further strengthen safety measures.
“We hope JBS’ leadership sends a message to all other companies — union and non-union,” Perrone said. "Now, more than ever, it is critical that not only is our food supply protected, but that food processing and meatpacking workers are protected as they perform such an essential role during this health crisis.”
The news comes days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it is assessing a plan to reopen Smithfield Foods pork plant in South Dakota — a coronavirus hot spot.
The CDC toured the pork processing plant on Thursday, three weeks after the first COVID-19 case involving a Smithfield employee was determined on March 24. The plant has been shut down for a week.
— Norma Gonzalez
Two more Utahns die of COVID-19; 138 more test positive
Utah reported two more coronavirus deaths and 138 new positive cases Sunday, according to state public health officials.
The Utah Department of Health released new numbers Sunday, bringing the number of coronavirus-related deaths to 27 total and the number of positive cases reported up to 3,069 total — a 5% increase from Saturday. Eight more people have been hospitalized (259 total cases), and 679 patients have recovered.
The two deaths were among Salt Lake County residents — a man and a woman, both of whom were older than 85 and had underlying medical conditions. They had been hospitalized at the time of their death but previously had been living in a long-term care facility.
So far, 63,555 people have been tested for COVID-19, an increase of 3,611 from Saturday’s report.
— Norma Gonzalez