SALT LAKE CITY – In anticipation of the Utah mask mandate ending April 10, the state plans to make vaccinations available to every adult in Utah by April 1, according to a statement from Government Spencer Cox’s office Tuesday night.
“Once it became clear that the legislature planned to end the mask mandate immediately, and with a veto majority, our government worked with them to push back the date to get as many people vaccinated as possible,” Jennifer said. Napier Pearce, Cox’s spokesman, said in a statement. “We expect to be eligible for every adult in the state on April 1, and will likely have 1.5 million first doses in the state by April 10.”
Pearce stresses the importance of individuals still wearing a mask and notes that the mandate will continue after April 10 for schools and large gatherings. She also said that businesses still need masks after the mandate.
“Every day we vaccinate more than 25,000 people,” Cox said on the last night of the 2021 legislative session, adding that if the most vulnerable Utahns are vaccinated, “then the restrictions do not matter so much.”
“So we will not go through everyone before the potential mask mandate can disappear, but we will go through a lot of people,” he said, also pointing out the importance of the mandate left for gatherings of more than 50 people. And the governor said if the pandemic gets worse, the legislature could impose new restrictions.
A total of 573,525 Utahns have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 319,127 have now been fully vaccinated, according to the Utah Department of Health. A total of 878,487 vaccines have been administered in the state since Tuesday.
Vaccine development timeline
- March 4: Adults 50 years and older
- February 25: Utahns is 16 years and older with illness
- February 16: Utahns 65 years and older
- January 11: All K-12 teachers or staff
- December 10: Healthcare workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities
Contributing: Ashley Fredde