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Show C-1 ELECTION RESULTS AVAILABLE ONLINE Looking for a rundown of the returns from Tuesday’s election? Visit parkrecord.com for up-to-date coverage of the primary results. MUSEUM EXHIBIT HIGHLIGHTS EXPERIENCE OF JAPANESE AMERICANS INTERNED IN WWII FIREWORKS FOR FOURTH, A-3 COLUMNS, A-10 NO RESTRICTIONS ARE ANTICIPATED MASK DEBATE IS CERTIFIABLY 2020, AMY ROBERTS SAYS Park Record. The PA R K C I T Y, U TA H | W W W. PA R K R E C O R D . C O M Wed/Thurs/Fri, July 1-3, 2020 Serving Summit County since 1880 Vol. 140 | No. 43 $1.00 Downward dog days Sundance plots significant changes for next year’s fest Leader outlines plan to show films in at least 20 other cities alongside the Park City event SCOTT IWASAKI The Park Record TANZI PROPST/PARK RECORD Nicole Kennedy assumes a downward dog pose Saturday morning during a charity yoga event at Matt Knoop Memorial Park. The event benefited Live Like Sam, a nonprofit that supports youth sports. Kennedy was accompanied by her dog, Bella, a 9-year-old beagle-sheltie mix. Although COVID-19 has cast a shadow of uncertainty on the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, the Sundance Institute intends for the 11day event to go on in Park City — and in many other cities throughout North America. In a letter released by the Sundance Institute on Monday, Festival Director Tabitha Jackson said organizers are still planning to hold the in-person festival in Utah but, in a major change, intend to also screen films in other cities. Sundance is in discussions with venues in places such as Los Angeles, Atlanta, Nashville, Detroit and Mexico City about hosting screenings. “It will take place live in Utah and in at least 20 independent and community cinemas across the U.S. and beyond,” Jackson said in the letter. PARK RECORD FILE PHOTO The Sundance Film Festival plans to hold the 2021 event in Park City but also envisions partnering with 20 other cities across North America for film screenings. “Each of our partners will host a bespoke slate from the official selection alongside complementary programming of their own. This plan acknowledges the vital role of the independent cinema network in our ecosystem.” Beyond the screenings in other cities, Sundance also plans to unveil a new digital platform that would offer online audiences the opportunity to view films and participate in Please see Sundance, A-2 Mask dispute Business could take a Mandate seen at gym sparks hit during Sundance as ‘preemptive unlikely to be an strike’ in fight police probe Festival economic blockbuster as Altercation began when one man confronted another for exercising without a mandated face covering JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record The Park City Police Department on Tuesday said it is conducting a criminal investigation into a dispute between two men at a health club that centered on one of them not wearing a mask. Phil Kirk, a police captain, said the department received the report at a little after 7 p.m. on June 27 at the Silver Mountain Sports Club & Spa in Prospector. Kirk said a 64-year-old man who lives in Park City contacted the police saying he confronted a man who was working out without a mask. The man without a mask approached the other person and made threats of “physical force” if he “ever did something like that to him again,” Kirk said. The man without a mask “pushed his way past” the other person, making physical contact as he did so, Kirk said. He said the case was logged as a suspected assault. The suspect was gone by the time the police arrived. Kirk said investigators are reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses. He said the dark-haired suspect is described as being physically fit, 5 foot, 10 inches tall and weighing 220 pounds. Kirk said the Police Department advises someone contact law enforcement or the staff at a business regarding a dispute about a person without a mask instead of directly confronting them. “There’s frustrations on both ends,” Kirk said about people who decline to wear masks or follow other restrictions and those who are unhappy when they see someone not wearing one or refusing to comply with the other restrictions. The owner of Silver Mountain Sports Club & Spa, Stanton Jones, said he reviewed the surveillance footage and said the confrontation did not result in a fight. The club requires people wear a mask at all times when they are inside. Jones said it is difficult for some to wear them during a workout due to health reasons, and some pull them off their nose while working out. Jones said the two people involved in the confrontation exchanged words inside the entryway of the sports club as staffers were preparing to close for the night. “The person was upset about the interaction. ... Upset enough to call the police,” Jones said. Please see Dispute, A-6 2 sections • 20 pages Classifieds .............................. B-5 Editorial................................ A-11 Restaurant Guide.................... B-6 Weather .................................. B-2 pandemic forces changes JAY HAMBURGER The Park Record A range of Park City business sectors enjoy the spotlight of the Sundance Film Festival each January. The lodging industry charges some of the top rates of the year with heavy bookings, the restaurants are jammed or rented out to corporate interests, the nightclubs are rocking and it is tough at many points to grab a taxi or shuttle. As the novel coronavirus continues to spread, many welcomed Sundance’s announcement on Monday that the festival is still planned early next year. It seems almost certain the festival in 2021 will not be the economic blockbuster that it has been for years, but it could provide a boost for businesses after what will by January be nearly a year of effects of the illness. Sundance organizers are crafting a radically altered format for the event in January. The festival would be based in Park City but have venues across the U.S. under the concept that was outlined on Monday. Sundance said it is in discussions with screening rooms in places like Los Angeles, New York City, Atlanta and Detroit. Mexico City was also listed. The details have not been finalized, leaving numerous unknowns about the 2021 edition of Sundance six months before it is scheduled to open. The Park City business community is likely to intensely follow the planning as details are publicized. Some will be attempting to project the financials of Sundance and, eventually, considering staffing levels for January. Others could be weighing whether to enter into temporary leases with the corporate interests that arrive in Park City for the festival. Revenues during Sundance can be crucial to the annual numbers of some businesses. “This is good news. We were just dealing with an unknown,” Bill Malone, the president and CEO of the Park City Chamber/Bureau, said. “We didn’t know whether Sundance would go dark for a year.” Malone noted the lodging properties are jammed at some of the highest nightly rates of the year during the fesPlease see Business, A-6 PARK RECORD FILE PHOTO Main Street has long been one of the hubs of the Sundance Film Festival, with a screening room at the Egyptian Theatre, other official festival venues and numerous temporary corporate setups. Sundance organizers on Monday said the festival is planned in 2021. It seems highly unlikely, though, the festival’s economic numbers in 2021 will approach those of previous years. Officials say requiring masks is one of their last available moves to counter concerning trends ALEXANDER CRAMER The Park Record Summit County on Monday had two new confirmed cases of COVID-19. On Sunday, one new case was diagnosed. On Saturday there were two and on Friday, three. In a county of around 40,000 people, these numbers seem small. Why, then, did county officials decide Friday was the right time to take their most aggressive step in fighting the pandemic since their now-rescinded stay-at-home order in March? “It was really a preemptive strike,” Health Director Rich Bullough said in an interview. “We’re surrounded by counties that have case numbers that are surging that are far worse than ours. ... As we’re looking around us, there’s a significant surge — so what are our options? Data is very clear (mask-wearing) reduces transmission by about 80%. We felt really strongly, time to make that move. Also, on top of that, my observation was, people seemed to think that this was over. Wouldn’t see masks in stores. As much as anything, this was a preemptive reminder we’re still at risk.” The Summit County Council passed a new joint public health order Friday evening that essentially compels people to wear masks while inside public spaces in the county with limited exceptions. Failure to do so could result in a citation, but officials said punishment is not the intent of the order. It is slated to run through Sept. 1, but officials said they would revisit it frequently to address community concerns. The order was signed by County Council Chair Doug Clyde, County Manager Tom Fisher and Bullough. Clyde described the move as one of the county’s last tools to fight the spread of the disease and said if Utah garners a reputation as an unsafe destination for travel, Summit County residents might experience a “dramatic and life-changing” hit to the area’s economy. Officials also touted it as supporting local businesses whose employees are often on the front lines asking visitors to wear masks. That practice is now the law of the land in the county. Bullough cited several criteria that informed the decision, including hospital utilization rates — there are four intensive-care unit beds in Summit County; a growing percentage of tests that are coming back positive; growth in new cases on a rolling three-day Please see Mandate, A-2 CORONAVIRUS TRACKER Summit County Utah Known cases: 488 Hospitalizations: 47; Deaths: 0 Known cases: 22,217 Hospitalizations: 1,444; Deaths: 172 DATA AS OF JUNE 30, SOURCE: UTAH DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |