SALT LAKE CITY – In anticipation of Utah’s mask mandate expiring April 10, the state plans to make vaccines available to every adult in Utah by April 1, according to a statement from Governor Spencer Cox’s office Tuesday night.
“When it became clear that the legislature intended to immediately end the mask mandate, and by a veto-resistant majority, our government worked with them to push back the date to get as many people vaccinated as possible,” said Cox spokeswoman Jennifer Napier Pearce in a statement. “We expect every adult in the state to be eligible for vaccines by April 1, and we will likely have 1.5 million first doses in the state by April 10.”
Pearce stressed the importance of individuals who still wear masks and noted that the mandate for schools and large gatherings will continue beyond April 10. She also said companies may still require masks after the mandate.
“Every day we vaccinate more than 25,000 people,” Cox said on the final night of the 2021 legislative session, adding that if the most vulnerable Utahns are vaccinated, “the restrictions don’t matter all that much.”
“So we will not go through everyone before the potential mask mandate can expire, but we will go through a lot of people,” he said, while also pointing out the importance of the remaining mandate for gatherings of more than 50 people. And the governor said if the pandemic gets worse, the legislature can set new restrictions.
According to the Utah Department of Health, a total of 573,525 Utahns have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 319,127 are now fully vaccinated. A total of 878,487 vaccines have been administered in the state as of Tuesday.
Vaccination timeline
- March 4: Adults 50 and older
- February 25: Utahns 16 and older with co-morbidity
- February 16: Utahns 65 and older
- January 11: All primary school teachers or staff
- December 10: Health workers, residents and staff of long-term care facilities
Contributing: Ashley Fredde