Aidan Clarke

Professor Vincent
ENGL 1100
11/8/20

From Bad to Worse

Lately, it’s been odd to recognize our current crisis and situation as the worst the pandemic has
ever been. The lack of panic from the people and action from the government seem to indicate this is
semi-normal, but the reality of the situation isn’t at all contained by a lack of panic nor action. As Norma
Gonzalez of the Salt Lake Tribune wrote on the 8th of this month, “​Over the past seven days, Utah has
seen a total of 16,111 new cases and 46 people died of the virus. The state is also seeing a seven-day
average percent of positive tests of 20.6% — the highest the state has seen through the pandemic and a
sign that many more people have the virus than are getting tested,”​ (Gonzalez). Things are bad, and it is
not enough to give up and wait for a vaccine, despite the promising new data released. Government
action, right now, is absolutely necessary.

Photo courtesy of Intermountain Healthcare

 Now is the time for Utah to enter another full or, at least, partial lockdown in three parts,
beginning with a stay-at-home order, a shut-down of non-essential businesses, and the closure of
in-person schools until things return to stability. While it may seem drastic, it comes directly as a result of
Herbert’s semi-effective COVID lockdown in Spring, and not-at-all effective measures to re-open that
have occurred all through the year. Across the state, scientists are practically screaming at politicians to
listen, but falling on deaf ears.

Photo courtesy of Trent Nelson

First, let’s discuss a stay at home order. As Dr. Eddie Stenehjem of Intermountain Health put it,
“Given the trajectory we’re on, we need — at a minimum — a two-week stay-at-home order to interrupt
this transmission,” (Alberty and Rodgers). While we did get our coveted mask mandate last month, it
came much too late. ​The case counts for the state indicate an uptick in cases beginning around
mid-September (​Case Counts: Coronavirus​), long before a mandate ever came. While it was still
welcome, it is not the silver bullet to our crisis. We have waited too late, and a stay-at-home order could
be what is needed to get things under control before moving into the next phase.
 Things like
stay-at-home orders can
look like a populace
shooting itself in the
foot, economically
speaking, and that can
be scary after already
having lost so much.
However, we’ve come
to expect too little from
our government. In
nearly every place that
has been successful in
combatting coronavirus, their government has been dishing out regular stimulus checks to those who have
lost their job or a portion of their income to the virus. There’s no reason that could not, to any extent,
happen here. Still, some argue that a lockdown is too costly. Our economy would take a hit, yes, but right
now we are paying for the status quo with the lives of Utahns every day. Human life should always be
prioritized over capital, an idea not echoed in Utah today.
Next, a shut-down of things like dine-in restaurants, bars, and gyms is necessary. It’s obvious
something like this is unpopular, but once again, vital to fighting our crisis. “​Adults with positive
SARS-CoV-2 test results were almost twice as likely to have reported dining at a restaurant than those
with negative SARS-CoV-2 test results,” (Soucherey). Whether this is correlation or causation is
irrelevant; as the paper, and dozens of other studies indicate, where restaurants open, positive tests follow.
On top of that, the coming winter would be forcing more people indoors for more time. On our current
course, bad things are coming. Again, we need more of what we got in spring - swift government action
to help support small businesses while things get under control. It’s not unprecedented - we’ve seen it in
other countries from Europe to Australia, and even here earlier in the year with small business help and
stimulus checks.
Finally, it’s important to address perhaps one of the most consequential things that has caused our
current spike in cases. Our upward trend noticeably began shortly after the return to schools and
universities sometime in September, and since then it has been rough. “In the United States,
approximately 45% of persons aged 18–22 years were enrolled in colleges and universities in 2019 (6).
As these institutions reopen, opportunities for infection increase; therefore, mitigation efforts and
monitoring reports of COVID-19 cases among young adults are important. During August 2–September
5, weekly incidence of COVID-19 among
persons aged 18–22 years rose by 55.1%
nationally,” (​Recent Increase in COVID-19
Cases Reported Among Adults Aged 18–22
Years — United States, May 31–September
5, 2020)​ Shutting down schools is not easy.
Yes, a shift back to online learning would
be hard, but not impossible. Let’s not forget
that the main push for schools to reopen in
the summer was met with plenty of backlash
and isn’t an unpopular idea. Closing schools
may be the most important thing we can do
to get things under control.

Chart courtesy of Christopher Cherrington

It’s daunting and more than a little demoralizing to watch nearly every state try and fail to keep
things under control. If scientists can’t get politicians to listen, who can? Particularly here, a country
many consider to be more divided than ever. We’ve seen time and time again that the countries that have
a cohesive response as a nation do better than those whose states are left to fend for themselves. In truth,
it’s easy to see how our individual voices are ineffective at best.
Always remember we are not just screaming into the void, and that every voice counts. There are
always ways to involve yourself and organize within your community, from social media platforms to
simpler, classic things like letters to the Governor. Every stance we take and every position we vocalize is
an opportunity to recruit more voices to the chorus that demands change.
In summary, as unfortunate as it is, no, Governor Herbert, making an ominous PSA of you sitting
down at your desk, thanking healthcare workers, and stating that this new phase of the pandemic is more
serious than ever - has not, and will not, do anything to seriously mitigate what is happening. But, with
quick and decisive action, Utah could one day be the exception to the storm of cases in the United States
this winter, starting with a stay-at-home order to closing non-essential business to finally shutting down
schools. The best time to do these things was a long time ago. The second best time is right now.
 Works Cited

Alberty, Erin, and Bethany Rodgers. “Utah Officials and Health Experts Disagree on COVID-19 Data -
and New Business Restrictions.” ​The Salt Lake Tribune​, 8 Nov. 2020,
www.sltrib.com/news/2020/11/08/utah-health-experts-say/​.

“Case Counts: Coronavirus.” ​Coronavirus.utah.gov​, Utah Department of Health, 2020,

coronavirus.utah.gov/case-counts/​.

Cherrington, Christopher. “Confirmed COVID-19 Cases in Utah per Day.” ​The Salt Lake Tribune,​ 18
Nov. 2020, ​www.sltrib.com/news/2020/11/18/utah-coronavirus-cases-up/​.

Gonzalez, Norma. “Coronavirus in Utah: 2,386 New Cases Ends Brutal Week. Positive Rate Now above
20%.” ​The Salt Lake Tribune,​ 8 Nov. 2020,
www.sltrib.com/news/2020/11/08/coronavirus-utah-new/​.

Nelson, Trent. “Gov. Gary Herbert Speaks at a News Conference in Salt Lake City, May 28, 2020.” ​The
Salt Lake Tribune​, 24 Sept. 2020,
www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2020/09/24/gov-herbert-expected/​.

Soucherey, Stephanie. “Close Case Contact, Dining out Tied to COVID-19 Spread.” ​CIDRAP​, 11 Sept.
2020,
www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/09/close-case-contact-dining-out-tied-covid-19-spre
ad​.

US Department of Health and Human Services, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Recent
Increase in COVID-19 Cases Reported Among Adults Aged 18–22 Years — United States, May
31–September 5, 2020.” ​Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report​, vol. 69, no. 39, 2 Oct. 2020,
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/pdfs/mm6939e4-H.pdf​.