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Utah County commissioners hope to advance virus safety level

Provo • Utah County commissioners hope the state will move the county from yellow to green in its system rating risk levels for the coronavirus.

The Daily Herald reports that Commissioner Bill Lee on Wednesday called for the Utah County Commission to discuss supporting an upgrade of the county's status in the state’s color-coded health guidance system.

Lee originally wanted commissioners to appeal directly to Republican Gov. Gary Herbert and Jefferson Burton, acting director of the Utah Department of Health.

Lee said the county should now support a state Public Health and Economic Emergency Commission vote Tuesday to have most of the state move from a yellow to a green risk phase with fewer restrictions.

The commission created to advise state officials on how to combat the coronavirus made its recommendation based on the state’s low hospitalization, transmission and fatality rates.

“The lower risk level does not indicate that our state is back to normal,” the commission said in a statement.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.