As masks have become a flash point during the coronavirus, Cox urged people to ‘respect’ their ‘fellow humans’ when restrictions diminish.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Gov. Spencer Cox provides updates on the ongoing pandemic, as his words are interpreted for the hearing impaired, at a news conference in Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 11, 2021.
With Utah’s statewide mask mandate expiring on April 10, Governor Spencer Cox urged state residents to “act with respect for your fellows” and told those who don’t want to wear masks not to “be a jerk.” “if a company maintains its limitations.
Don’t yell at the receptionist; don’t yell at the store manager, ”he said at a press conference on Thursday. “Don’t kid yourself, because you don’t want to wear masks.”
“This is not free for everyone,” Cox added later. “We live in a society. We should care about each other. And if you don’t care about other people, don’t go places where other people are. “
He urged Utahns to consider their level of risk and said those who are not fully vaccinated when the mask mandate expires should consider continuing to wear a mask or not going out the door. And he urged people who might think a company isn’t doing enough to fight the spread of the coronavirus to be patient too.
[Read more: How the governor and lawmakers settled on April 10 to lift the statewide mask mandate]
‘If you go into a restaurant and a table is closer to yours than you might think [it should be], don’t yell at the waitress and tell her you want people two meters away from you, ”he said. “If you don’t feel comfortable eating out at a restaurant because you’re at risk, get takeout.”
The new governor said he saw masks dividing. But he said those who don’t want to wear a mask shouldn’t make fun of people who keep wearing them, and those who do shouldn’t “pile up” to people who don’t want to wear one.
Cox said Thursday that he “doesn’t like the bill” recently passed by the state legislature that will end the statewide mask mandate early next month. He said he urged legislators to give the state more time to get people vaccinated before they lift it.
“We told them we’re getting 25,000 every day, at least new people are getting vaccinated and getting closer to that immunity and that herd immunity we’re working towards, so we’re taking as many days as you can give us,” he said. We ended April 10. “
Cox has indicated that he will sign the bill and has said he expects COVID-19 vaccines to be available to every adult in Utah by April 1.
The governor stressed on Thursday during his weekly COVID newsletter that the mask mandate will not completely disappear next month and that people will still be required to wear masks in schools and in large gatherings of 50 or more people. Companies may also continue to need masks.
But some local entrepreneurs have already expressed concern that the end of the mask mandate will lead to conflict with their customers starting next month.
Matt Caputo, the CEO of Caputo’s Deli, said in a recent video posted to social media that the mask mandate de-escalated tensions with some customers in his business. And he urged the governor to veto the bill ending it, though lawmakers could then vote to override that veto.
Some Utahns and companies wanted essential workers, or people who can’t do their jobs from home, to be vaccinated before the mask mandate expires. But Cox said on Thursday that those workers do not qualify for a special vaccine and that shots are being opened for them at the same time as the general public.
“We’re so close to the end,” Cox stressed. ‘We get as many vaccines as possible. Please be nice to each other. Have patience with each other. And let’s show people how great it is to live in Utah. “