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Show A-2 Wed/Thurs/Fri, April 8-10, 2020 The Park Record The Park Record. Serving Summit County since 1880 The Park Record, Park City’s No. 1 source for local news, opinion and advertising, is available for home delivery in Summit, Wasatch, Salt Lake, Davis and Utah counties. Single copies are also available at 116 locations throughout Park City, Heber City, Summit County and Salt Lake City. SUBSCRIPTION RATES In Summit County (home delivery): $56 per year (includes Sunday editions of The Salt Lake Tribune) Outside Summit County (home delivery available in Wasatch, Salt Lake, Davis, Weber and Utah counties; all other addresses will be mailed via the U.S. Postal Service): $80 per year To subscribe please call 435–649– 9014 or visit www.parkrecord.com and click the Subscribe link in the Reader Tools section of the toolbar at the bottom of the page. To report a missing paper, please call 801–204–6100. 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No portion may be reproduced in any form without written consent of the managing editor or publisher. The Park Record (USPS 378-730) (ISSN 0745-9483) is published twice weekly by Wasatch Mountain News Media Co., 1670 Bonanza Drive, Park City, UT 84060. Periodicals postage paid at Salt Lake City, Utah, 84199-9655 and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Park Record, P.O. Box 3688, Park City, UT84060. Entered as second-class matter, May 25, 1977, at the Post Office in Park City, Utah, 84060 under the Act of March 3, 1897. Subscription rates are: $56 within Summit county, $80 outside of Summit County, Utah. Subscriptions are transferable: $5 cancellation fee. Phone: 435–649–9014 Fax: 435–649–4942 Email: circulation@parkrecord.com Published every Wednesday and Saturday Social distancing cases prompt police response Officers told of people not following mandate to stay 6 feet apart JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record With the mountain resorts having closed early in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Parkites are searching for activities outside. Some just after the resorts closed hiked up the slopes for earn-your-turns skiing even though the practice is prohibited. And last week, people were spotted in ers last week illustrate the competing desires of stopping the spread of the disease and recreating with friends. The Police Department has conducted regular patrols recently of recreation locations like parks and trailheads to ensure people are practicing social distancing even when they are outside. Phil Kirk, a police captain, said it is understandable people are headed outside for exercise with athletic clubs and gyms closed. “We want to encourage people to call us if they see what appears to be a violation of the restriction,” Kirk said. Officers who responded to the reports warned the people in some of the cases. Some of the reports were determined not to be violations, he said. “Everybody has voluntarily complied” after an officer spoke to them, Kirk said. The police had not issued a citation or arrested anyone for violations through early in the week. Some of the other cases last week included: • on Thursday, April 2 at 6:37 p.m., people were reported to be breaking social-distancing guidelines at the field outside the Park City Library. • on Tuesday, March 31 at 5:34 p.m, 20 to 30 youngsters were reported to be celebrating a birthday in the street on Lucky John Drive. • on March 31 at 5:16 p.m., people were reportedly seen standing 2 feet from each other in a front yard on King Road. Amid virus, responders remain ‘here to serve’ Agencies have needed to adapt but insist their mission hasn’t changed ALEXANDER CRAMER The Park Record Summit County’s first responders are adapting in this time of crisis, taking measures to protect themselves, preserve capacity in the health care system and keep the community safe. And while much has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Park City Fire Chief Paul Hewitt says the core mission remains the same. “We’re there,” Hewitt said. “We’ll be there and ready to make things better.” Representatives from the Park City Fire District, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and the area’s emergency medical services say they have enough personal protective equipment — like masks, gloves and gowns — for the time being. But they’re cognizant of national shortages and are changing tactics to use the valuable supplies responsibly as the peak of local cases is expected to hit in a matter of days. Sheriff’s Lt. Andrew Wright said Sheriff Justin Martinez has advised deputies to use common sense and to not send more resources than necessary to a call, even though that limits the philosophy of community policing the sheriff prefers, which relies on face-to-face interaction Continued from A-1 Data offers insight but the Google data indicates a 47% drop-off in visits to parks. That category includes national parks, beaches, dog parks and marinas; it is unclear whether it includes trails like those maintained by the Snyderville Basin Recreation District. Brian Hanton is the director of the district and he said he has seen fewer users on the trails, but didn’t have data to corroborate the Google statistics. The district has closed its dog parks and is considering closing trailheads to bolster social distancing efforts. He said spring break is a normal time to see fewer users and that the district will Continued from A-1 Tour of Utah canceled EASY TO SHOW! 2025 the skate park at City Park even though it is not yet open for the season. The skateboarders prompted a call to the Park City Police Department regarding whether they were practicing social distancing, or putting a distance between people to guard against the spread of the disease. It was one of several calls to the police last week regarding social distancing. The report involving the skate park was logged on Friday, April 3 at 3:35 p.m. and was classified as a citizen complaint. The person told the police the skateboarders were there when “it’s supposed to be closed” to promote social distancing. The case at the skate park and the oth- Canyons Resort Drive #I-1 Canyons Village 1 B D | 1 B A | 6 5 0 S Q . F T. | O F F E R E D AT $ 3 3 0 , 0 0 0 Jessica Sigg Realtor® 435.962.0689 jessicasigg@winutah.com parkcityjessica.com Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed accurate. Buyer to verify all information. Ensuring that our agents, office staff, and clients are safe and healthy is our top priority. We are finding creative ways to connect during this time of social distancing so that our agents can continue to help clients move their lives forward in these uncertain times. with community members. “We’re doing everything we can to limit our interaction, but of course there are those cases we have to show up, we have to get right in the middle of things,” Wright said. “If we can limit it to two deputies at one scene, that’s all the better because, again, we’re limiting that interaction with people.” That’s a strategy Summit County Emergency Medical Services has adopted as well, according to Administrative Battalion Chief Ashley Lewis, who oversees the service operated by the Fire District. Lewis reported that paramedics are trying to accomplish as much as they can from a distance while reducing the number of paramedics on scene and times when personnel don full personal protective equipment. As the outbreak approached, Hewitt said, Park City Fire personnel were quick to develop new policies aimed at reducing exposure to the virus. Hewitt said the first two objectives he told his staff were, first and foremost, to make sure they are not transporting the disease around the county - becoming a vector of spread - and secondly, to stay healthy themselves. That means cleaning and sanitizing regularly, among other measures. “The public needs to know that, if they need us, we’ll show up and we won’t exacerbate the problem,” Hewitt said. “They should never be afraid of seeing our men and women.” Lewis said that Summit County EMS is well-stocked with protective equipbe closing trails to protect them from damage during the mud season. “I just hope that cabin fever doesn’t tempt people too much and they get out on the trails early,” Hanton wrote in an email. “We also hope that people are being respectful of the trails and staying off. I know I have seen a lot of bikes on vehicles so hopefully they are using good judgment.” Google has a “privacy threshold” it needs to surpass to include data in the mobility reports. If there aren’t enough visitors to an area to ensure anonymity, Google said it doesn’t show a change to protect its users’ privacy. According to the report, Google anonymizes the data and includes “artificial noise” in the dataset to avoid being able to track one specific individual’s movements. The company indicates it hopes the data is useful for public health officials to learn about populations in aggregate and contribute to the fight against COVID-19. The report can be seen at google. com/covid19/mobility/. weeks left in the ski season. Most of the ski season’s sales had already been booked by that time. The worries had turned to the summer even before the announcement of the cancellation of the Tour of Utah. There are concerns there could be impacts on summertime tourism regardless of the efforts to stop the spread of ment, but that many things are on backorder and it’s been hard to procure equipment like surgical masks. “It’s very difficult to find and secure supplies,” Lewis said. “(We’re doing) anything we can to secure the supplies needed to do our job and also have resources available to help community members in their time of need.” He said costs have remained relatively constant, though he has seen some vendors attempt to gouge prices. First responders are readying themselves for the peak of new cases that could come within days. Summit County Health Director Rich Bullough said April 2 that modeling at that time predicted a peak around April 16. Lewis said he has to balance his department’s anticipated needs against the requirements of other, more rural agencies that also need safety equipment. And while Summit County EMS could store a surplus, he doesn’t want to take more than their fair share. The effort to reduce the use of personal protective equipment begins with dispatchers, who now ask every caller to describe any medical symptoms to gauge the risk that emergency personnel will encounter COVID-19. And since there is little to be done for those with the disease unless their symptoms worsen to the point of requiring hospitalization, Lewis said paramedics are often in the position of offering comfort to patients. “Sometimes people, if they’ve been confirmed with the virus, they just need a little reassurance. Maybe they’re having a cough or some sort of episode and they just need the reassurance of an evaluation saying, ‘Hey, you’re OK,’” Lewis said. “But if we can release you, that’s what we want to do because there’s a lot more pressure to (emergency rooms).” Training Battalion Chief Peter Emery said the Fire District is working closely with local health care providers and making sure to keep the system’s capacity in mind when determining a patient’s care. “Patients call us and, after discussions with us, they end up staying at home because the hospitals, it’s a certain criteria you have to have before they’ll have you come in,” Emery said. “That’s not to say that they’re overflowing right now, but we’re trying to limit that impact on the hospitals as well. ... It’s unique to say the least.” Last weekend, Hewitt said his team learned of the first case from within their ranks, a paramedic who tested positive for COVID-19 and who is now on his way to recovery. Emery said the man had been away on vacation and that, because of the timing of the incident, the threat to the public was extremely limited. The department isolated and tested the staff that had worked directly with the paramedic and the tests came back negative. Hewitt and Emery said morale remains high. “It’s definitely an eerie environment, but it’s also an eerie environment if you’re in a house fire or a business fire,” Hewitt said. “The guys are here to serve,” Emery added. “This is what we signed up for.” STATE OF UTAH SUMMIT COUNTY RETAIL & RECREATION Places like restaurants, cafes, museums, libraries and movie theaters. -41% -84% GROCERY & PHARMACY Places like grocery markets, specialty food shops, drug stores and pharmacies. -14% -65% PARKS Places like national parks, dog parks, plazas and public gardens. +26% -47% TRANSIT STATIONS Places like public transport hubs such as bus stops. -44% -59% WORKPLACE Places of work. -40% -76% RESIDENTIAL Places of residence. +10% +6%* CATEGORY Source: Google mobility data from March 29, based on Google users’ ambiguated location history data. The baseline is the median number of daily visits over the five-week period from Jan. 3 to Feb. 6. * Indicates there was not enough data for a complete analysis. the disease as people weigh whether to travel. The president and CEO of the Chamber/Bureau, Bill Malone, recently acknowledged there is a chance the community could be in a state of economic “limbo” in the summer, while Park City Councilor Tim Henney has said he sees June 1, considered by some to be the beginning of the sum- mertime-tourism season, as “the tipping point.” Other major events during the summer include the Park City Kimball Arts Festival and the weekly Park Silly Sunday Market. There are also a series of music festivals and sports events during the summer. |