Gov. Gary Herbert should immediately issue a statewide stay-at-home order, which legally requires people to stay in their homes except for essential activities, such as buying groceries or medications, traveling to a job that can’t be performed at home or solitary exercise in the fresh air.
This will result in a lower number of COVID-19 infections, a sparing of health care resources, decreased hospitalizations and, most importantly, fewer deaths. Lessons from ongoing hot spots, such as New York City, grimly demonstrate the importance of preventing wide scale spread of the virus in the community. Tragically in New York City and State, viral spread through the community has led to an overwhelming number of infections and 5,489 deaths as of April 7.
On March 26, the governor issued the “Stay Safe, Stay Home” directive in which he urged Utahns to social distance in order to slow the spread of the virus. In that same statement he wrote, “these directives are not to be confused with a shelter-in-place order.”
Although this step has been effective in decreasing the rate of new infections, it has not gone far enough. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, at the currently predicted peak of the coronavirus outbreak, seven Utah citizens will die every day from this disease. COVID Act Now projects that there will be 17,540 hospitalizations with social distancing alone but only 3,483 with a stay-at-home order. The Utah Department of Health estimated that the state has 5,849 hospital beds as reported by The Salt Lake Tribune.
In response to a life-threatening infection, the governor has elected to coax, not compel, citizens to undertake measures that will likely save lives. In March, when Salt Lake County tried to give teeth to its law by making it a misdemeanor violation to have a gathering of 10 or more people, the governor asked for the repeal of this law, calling “upon all people to act rationally and with good faith and common sense that has defined our state and her people since its beginning.”
Although we agree with appeals to rational decision-making and a sincere commitment to public safety, the additional prospect of legal enforcement heightens compliance and will save Utah lives, particularly our elderly population. Perhaps that is why stay-at-home orders have already been issued by 41 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the Navajo Nation, covering more than 300 million American citizens. Utah is one of eight states without such an order.
The economic effects of the shutdown are staggering. We feel them and our hearts go out to all who have suffered as a result. But these shut-downs are already in place and would be no greater with a stay-at-home order. By dampening the impact of the virus, a stay-at-home order combined with increased testing to detect infection may even reduce the financial impact by allowing an earlier return to work.
Delayed responses to the pandemic have exacerbated the global crisis we are all facing. Italy, New York City and other hot spots have been forced to allocate ventilators based on maximizing the benefits for society. This means that some patients have not received this life-saving support. Utah should take every step it can to avoid being placed in this situation. If we gamble that we can get by with less stringent regulations, we are rolling the dice with people’s lives.
Jonathan Boltax
Jonathan Boltax, M.D., is an associate professor of pulmonary and critical care at University of Utah. Opinions expressed here are his own and not necessarily representative of the university.
Peter Frech
Peter Frech, M.D., J.D., is a radiologist with Utah Imaging Associates. The views expressed here are his own and not those of Utah Imaging Associates.
