SALT LAKE CITY — As the new academic year approaches, the Utah Department of Health is encouraging vaccination of all people age 12 and older and recommends mask-wearing indoors at schools, according to new guidelines it released Monday.
The "layered prevention approach" includes a number of recommendations but no mandates, consistent with Utah law. The guidance comes as the seven-day average for positive COVID-19 cases is 861. Fifteen additional deaths were reported Monday for the most recent weekend period bringing the state's death toll from the virus to 2,466.
"We strongly recommend local health departments and schools use a layered prevention approach, including encouraging vaccination and mask wearing, among other strategies," Dr. Michelle Hofmann, deputy director of the Utah Department of Health, said in a statement.