As most of Utah moves into the yellow, or low-risk, phase for coronavirus mitigation, Grand County is among a few areas that remain at the orange, or moderate risk, level.
“There’s an effort to limit the amount of people in the area so we are not overwhelming our hospital system, the grocery stores down there during what is typically a very high very busy tourist season," Brady Bradford said.
Bradford is with the Southeast Utah Health Department and said although residents of Grand County are being diligent in preventing the spread of coronavirus, the county will continue to operate under a moderate risk category since it is a popular tourist destination.
Bradford said although some of the national parks, including Arches National Park, are confident in their ability to be fully operational by the end of the month, they are still making changes there.
According to Bradford, many people have been upset that the gates to the national parks are not open.
“It was also important for us to send a message that Grand County is not fully open yet," he said.
Bradford said county residents have been diligent about wearing masks, and businesses and institutions have also been implementing many safety policies and procedures.
“There are some elements of this that we hope to adopt that will keep us safe for a long time," he said.
Although numbers indicate that the county could go to yellow, Bradford said they are working closely with their federal partners to determine the best time to assume full operation.
