As masks became a flashpoint during the coronavirus, Cox urged people to ‘respect’ their ‘fellow human beings’ when easing restrictions.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) On Thursday, March 11, 2021, during a news conference in Salt Lake City, Spencer Cox’s government presented news about the ongoing pandemic, as its words are interpreted for the hearing impaired.
With Utah’s statewide mask mandate ending on April 10, Governor Spencer Cox urged state residents to ‘act with respect to your fellow human beings’ and urged those who do not want to wear masks to ‘not take a moment’ be ‘if a business does not keep its restrictions.
“Do not shout at the clerk; do not shout at the store manager, ”he said during a news conference on Thursday. “Do not drive yourself crazy, because you do not want to wear masks.”
“It’s not free for everyone,” Cox later added. “We live in a society. We need to care for each other. And if you do not care about other people, do not go to places where other people are. ‘
He urged Utahns to consider their level of risk, saying those who have not yet been vaccinated when the mask mandate ends should consider continuing to wear a mask or not going out. And he encouraged people who feel that a business is not doing enough to combat the spread of the coronavirus, to exercise patience as well.
[Read more: How the governor and lawmakers settled on April 10 to lift the statewide mask mandate]
‘If you go to a restaurant and a table is closer to yours than you think [it should be], do not shout at the waitress and tell her that you want people 6 meters away from you, ”he said. “If you do not feel comfortable going out to a restaurant because you are at risk, then take it down.”
The new governor said he acknowledged that masks were a divisive issue. But he said those who do not want to wear a mask should not mock people who continue to wear it, and those who do not want to do so should not “hope” for people who will not wear one.
Cox said Thursday that he does not “love the bill” that the legislature recently passed that would end the mandate for the entire mask earlier in the month. He said he encouraged legislative leaders to give the state more time to get people vaccinated before they lift it.
‘We told them look, every day we get 25,000, at least, new people are vaccinated and get closer to the immunity and the herd immunity we work for, so we’ll take as many days as you can give us, He says. “We finally ended on April 10.”
Cox has indicated he will sign the bill and said he expects COVID-19 vaccines to be available in Utah by April 1.
The governor stressed in his weekly COVID newsletter on Thursday that the mandate for the mask will not completely disappear next month, and that people should still be expected to wear masks at schools and in large gatherings with 50 or more people. Businesses may also still need masks.
But some local business owners have already expressed concern that the end of the mask mandate will lead to conflict with their customers until next month.
Matt Caputo, CEO of Caputo’s Deli, said in a recent video on social media that the mask was easing tensions with some customers in his business. And he urged the governor to end the bill, though lawmakers could then vote to overrule the veto.
Some Utahns and businesses wanted to see essential workers, or people who could not do their work from home, be vaccinated before the mask mandate ended. But Cox said Thursday that the workers are not eligible for any special vaccinations, and that shots will be opened to them at the same time as the public.
“We’re so close to the end,” Cox emphasized. ‘We get as many vaccines as possible. Please be kind to each other. Please be patient with each other. And let’s show people what an amazing place Utah is to live. ”