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It’s Saturday, May 2. We’ll provide the latest coronavirus updates involving Utah throughout the day.
[Read complete coronavirus coverage here.]
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7:20 p.m.: Capitol Reef to partially reopen Tuesday
Capitol Reef National Park is partially reopening Tuesday.
The Cathedral Valley and Waterpocket Fold areas will be open to day use. Cedar Mesa and Cathedral Valley campgrounds will also open for overnight stays.
The park added that despite these openings, “many facilities and areas remain closed.”
For more information, visit www.nps.gov/care.
— Paighten Harkins
12:15 p.m.: Three more Utahns have died from COVID-19; state closing in on 5,000 positive cases of the virus
Three more Utahns have died from the coronavirus — putting the total now at 49 deaths in the state.
Two of those individuals were from Utah County. One was a female older than age 85 who was hospitalized. The other was a man between 65 and 84, according to the Utah Department of Health. The third person was a woman from Salt Lake County. She was older than 85 and had underlying medical conditions.
Additionally, the number of new cases rose by 153. There are now 4,981 positive cases. That’s a 3.1% increase from Friday.
One troubling number: Thirty-one of the new cases come from San Juan County, with 29 of them on the Navajo Nation. That’s a large spike.
There have been 15 more hospitalizations, too, putting the total at 418. And 117,804 Utahns have now been tested. That’s 5,246 more tests than the previous day.
— Courtney Tanner
11:30 a.m.: Three Utah state parks close after reaching capacity
Some Utah state parks reached capacity Saturday morning and stopped allowing visitors to enter.
The three that saw the biggest crowds were Sand Hollow, Quail Creek and Gunlock.
Staff said until some patrons leave, no more would be let in. Updates will be put on social media @UtahStateParks.
— Courtney Tanner
11:15 a.m.: Utah Pride Center cuts staff due to fewer donations amid COVID-19
The Utah Pride Center has cut its staff due to fewer donations coming in during the coronavirus pandemic.
The center announced the changes in a message Friday from its executive director, though it has not said how many employees are impacted.
“This downsizing is happening as a result of COVID-19′s impact on our funding streams,” said Rob Moolman in the note. “We are seeing slow and lower donor engagement, depressed economic outlook, large donors funds tied to the stock market and the slow rollout of the PPP/SBA grants to non-profits. This has become our reality.”
Before the pandemic, Moolman said 1,800 people were visiting the center that offers LGBTQ support and programming. Now the physical space is closed. Many events are still happening online, but there isn’t enough cash to continue supporting a full staff.
The restructuring will primarily impact senior and youth-focused programming, Moolman noted. Mental health and counseling services, though, will not be affected. The center also anticipates still holding its annual pride festival, currently scheduled for Sept. 26 and 27.
— Courtney Tanner
11:10 a.m.: City Library is set to reopen, but slowly, and in phases
The City Library will reopen amid the pandemic — but slowly and in phases.
The plan comes as the state moves from a “red” risk level to “orange” under Utah Gov. Gary Herbert’s instruction.
The first phase for the library, located at 210 E. 400 South, will include getting staff back into the building to process book returns. Once a safe system is set up for quarantining and disinfecting, the library will begin curbside pickup for materials.
“The safety of our patrons, our staff, and the community at large guides all of our decisions and continues to be our highest priority,” said Peter Bromberg, the library’s executive director, in a statement posted Saturday. As the risk from the coronavirus lessens, patrons will be allowed back in again. In the meantime, they can download music and books online at: resources.slcpl.org/download.
— Courtney Tanner
