SLC Mayor uses emergency powers to institute K-12 mask mandate

"Today I will use my emergency powers to order that masks be worn in K-12 schools in our City," Mendenhall said in a statement. Photo: Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Department of Health reported 1,116 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, August 20. 216 of those new cases involve school-aged children.

“When you look at all our ICU beds across the organization, we’re at 99% capacity,” said Intermountain Healthcare infectious diseases physician Dr. Eddie Stenejhem. “So we are definitely in that position where we are struggling to find ICU beds to care for all the patients that need them, that includes COVID and non-COVID alike.”

Stenehjem said he doesn’t anticipate the situation getting better anytime soon. He said while COVID-19 doesn’t cause severe illness for most children, it can for a small percentage. It also is a threat to families, as kids can infect their parents, siblings, or other members of the community.

On Friday, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said that she will order masks to be worn in K-12 schools in Salt Lake City using emergency powers.

“Unfortunately, and despite all the evidence that masks protect children and the adults who care for them, this issue has become politicized to the point that elected bodies across the country, and in the State of Utah, worry about retribution if they take a public stand as an organization,” Mendenhall said in a statement.

Today I will use my emergency powers to order that masks be worn in K-12 schools in Salt Lake City.

My full statement is below: pic.twitter.com/D72FG1uZ1h

— Mayor Erin Mendenhall (@slcmayor) August 20, 2021

At the Park City School Board meeting on Tuesday, August 17, the district reiterated its recommendation that students wear masks during the upcoming school year.

Brigham Young University also announced on Friday that it will be requiring students to wear masks for the upcoming semester.

To begin fall semester, BYU will require masks in classrooms, in any indoor space when physical distancing isn’t maintained and in other areas when directed. These requirements will begin August 23.

More information: https://t.co/1tjJLcDzMO pic.twitter.com/CcMdgLYoFQ

— BYU (@BYU) August 20, 2021

The Park City Education Association also said that it wants masks on all students. “Masks can get us past this pandemic,” a member said.

“The Summit County Council, County Manager, and County Health Director are committed to taking necessary action available to them within the confines of the law to protect students this school year,” said the Summit County Health Department in a Wednesday statement.

“The Summit County Attorney’s Office is working closely with the State School Board and State Superintendent to come to an accord regarding authority and legal consent. We recognize this is an important issue to parents, teachers, and students and will release updates as soon as we learn more about the options available to us.

“Parents, teachers, and school administrators can make a difference by strongly encouraging the use of masks and carefully considering which activities outside of the classroom may contribute to potential exposures and spread of COVID-19 and its highly contagious Delta variant among students.”

85 percent of all residents in Summit County age 18 or older are fully vaccinated. That figure is 60.8 percent for all of Utah.

The Summit County Health Department announced this week that they will only have Moderna boosters available for eligible individuals — which right now is solely people who are moderately to severely immunocompromised.

You can learn where to get a vaccination in Summit County here.