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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, March 18-20, 2020 A-3 The Park Record County Seat Look for me online at PropertyShopParkCity COUNTY EDITOR: ALEXANDER CRAMER 649–9014 EXT. 15712 | Countynews@parkrecord.com FaceBook Instagram Transit system still running Spring service starts early amid virus impacts R E A L E S TAT E I N S I G H T S . S TA G E D V S VA C A N T H O M E S It’s always easier if a home is furnished or staged versus a home that’s vacant, because a family needs to see what the home is like when their belongings are there. Buyers have a hard time making sense of open spaces. By properly staging a home, you give the buyer an idea of how the home looks when it’s fully furnished. I offer a complimentary staging consultation service to help make your home stand out to perspective buyers. ALEXANDER CRAMER The Park Record Park City Transit buses are still running even as the number of destinations continues to dwindle following mandatory business closures ordered Sunday. It’s imperative the system still functions for those who need it most, said Summit County Councilor Kim Carson. “It’s the only way that some of our residents have to get to food, to medical care and those that may still be working, (to get to work),” Carson said. Starting Wednesday, though, the system was scheduled to reduce service to spring levels, a move that comes about a month before it was scheduled, according to Park City Transit consultant Jerry Benson. Benson said the district is working to follow the Summit County Health Department’s direction to limit the spread of COVID-19 while maintaining essential public services. And Summit County Transportation Manager Caroline Rodriguez said two smaller routes, the Kimball Junction M I C H A E L H AT Z G L O B A L R E A L E S TAT E A D V I S O R +1 4 3 5 9 0 1 - 0 7 2 1 w w w . M i c h a e l H a t z . R E A LT O R PARK RECORD FILE PHOTO Park City Transit has transitioned to spring-level service a month early as ridership drops off amid the coronavirus pandemic. Circulator and Canyons Village Connect have been temporarily suspended. Park City Transit had already seen a 20% drop in ridership starting last week, Benson said, and the district anticipates a more severe drop in coming weeks. Spring service requires about 25 fewer drivers, Benson said, from a peak of about 130 total. There appears to be enough work to keep the seasonal drivers employed until the previously scheduled midApril end date of their employment. The district said it continues to take steps to protect drivers and passengers. Workers disinfect buses daily and the district will ask riders to board from the rear of the bus and to maintain social distancing with other passengers and the bus drivers. Spring service is normally implemented after ski resorts close and businesses reduce their hours during the shoulder season between winter and summer tourist peaks. Significant changes include the suspension of the Blue, Orange and Yellow lines; the Green line no longer servicing Deer Valley; and changes to how often some routes run. For a list of all of the changes, head here: parkcity.org/home/ showdocument?id=65382 Top health official advises against traveling to county Remarks came after community spread discovered ALEXANDER CRAMER The Park Record The county’s top public health official recommended Saturday that those who can avoid traveling to Summit County should do so. The statement came in a Saturday morning press conference announcing the county’s first known case of community spread of COVID-19, in which the source of the virus was not immediately known. “If you have the option to not travel to Summit County, it’s probably wise to not do so at this point,” Summit County Health Director Rich Bullough said. “We do have community spread.” He added that the recommendation was not a formal restriction but rather a “prudent” course of action for people to follow. Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Resort, the primary driver of out-of-state travel to the county, voluntarily suspended operations over the weekend. Vail Resorts announced Tuesday it would extend that suspension for the remainder of the season. The virus outbreak prompted county officials on Sunday to issue an order forcing the closure of some businesses, such as ski resorts, and implementing strict requirements on others. Other ski communities appear to be feeling outsized impacts from the coronavirus, as well. In Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis said last week that the state’s ski country has been the site of community spread and advised reducing unnecessary travel. “It appears the virus will be disproportionately hitting our resort mountain communities first,” Polis said at a news conference. “Of course we’re concerned about people traveling back and forth between those communities and metropolitan areas.” He advised travelers 60 years or older or those with chronic health issues to avoid unnecessary travel to Colorado’s high country areas with the outbreaks. Bullough made his remarks about traveling to Summit County as officials gathered Saturday morning to announce the first case of community spread in the state, a development he said “changes the picture.” Officials said that a man working the door at a Main Street bar, the Spur Bar and Grill, had tested positive for COVID-19 and that its source was not tied to travel or another known case. Major health care providers delay non-essential services ‘Proactive’ step taken to keep the system working ALEXANDER CRAMER The Park Record Pandemic mitigation techniques like social distancing are being done, health officials have said, to delay the spread of the COVID-19 virus and allow time for clinical interventions like antiviral drugs to be developed while the world waits for a vaccine. Delaying the virus’ spread, or so-called flattening the curve of new cases, also gives health care providers a fighting chance to help people afflicted by the disease before the system is overrun. On Monday, top officials from two of the state’s largest health care providers said their systems had not been inundated with patients, but that they were taking preemptive steps to keep that from happening. Intermountain Healthcare and University of Utah Health officials announced the health systems will postpone some non-urgent elective medical procedures to prepare for an expected surge in patients needing hospitalization for COVID-19. Park City Hospital is an Intermountain Healthcare facility. “It is a necessary step given the number of Utahns expected to come down with COVID-19,” said Dr. Mark Briesacher in a press conference, senior vice president and chief physician executive with Intermountain Healthcare. Briesacher was joined in the press conference by Dr. Sam Finlayson, professor and chair of the Department of Surgery at University of Utah Health. Finlayson said the situation could last weeks or months and that the measure would be reevaluated as the surge in cases starts to plateau. Both physicians said they were looking to the example of other nations that have dealt with the outbreak, including Italy and South Korea, to try to learn from their example. “We’re only about 10-11 days behind Italy,” Finlayson said. “Italy’s health care system has been overwhelmed. I don’t think by any means are we premature in taking these measures.” They also said they have not yet seen a surge of patients in facilities, but they have seen an increased number of phone calls, something that Finlayson said indicates members of the public understand the situation and are following the advice of health officials. Briesacher added that Intermountain has added 100 clinicians to the ranks of those fielding calls. The decisions about which procedures, appointments and surgeries to postpone will be made by the specialists themselves, and Finlayson said the hospitals are being careful not to harm anyone with the postponement. Certain treatments, like for cancer, will remain on schedule, Finlayson said. “This really is a proactive step,” Briesacher said. “There really is going to be plenty to react to in coming days (and) weeks so we can be there for the community, be there for the state.” ©2019 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principals of the Fair Housing Act. If your property is currently represented by a real estate broker, this is not an attempt to solicit your listing. |