The website wallethub.com this week listed Utah as the most difficult state in which to practice social distancing. That’s not as negative as it sounds. The reasons given would, under normal circumstances, be positives.
And the state’s alleged difficulties following social distancing rules have not hindered Utahns from doing so in an impressive manner. A state-by-state analysis of the latest coronavirus statistics, as compiled on worldometers.info, shows Utah tied for third in the fewest number of deaths per million population due to the virus, at 13. The state ranks 28th in the number of reported cases per million population.
Utahns are doing a lot of things right. They are, in the aggregate, taking appropriate precautions in order to keep the spread of the disease in check.
But now is not the time to go soft.
Things are about to ease a bit statewide as the month of May begins. Under the state’s new color-coded response plan, Utah will begin in May to move from the red, or high risk level, to an orange, or moderate risk level. More retail businesses, including restaurants and hair salons, will open. However, these will operate under rules that impose social distancing. People will be encouraged to wear masks.
The goal is to move the state into a stabilization mode, in which the spread of the virus remains in check while economic activity begins to recover.
The danger is that people will begin to let down their guard and assume the danger has passed. That is not so, and a resumption of casual contact could lead to a dangerous spike in cases.
Jill Gonzalez, a Wallethub analyst, said one reason Utah is considered a difficult state in which to practice social distancing is that “the state’s residents spend the second-highest amount of leisure time on religious activities in the country.”
Somewhat related to that, Utahns are involved in a lot of social activities, and 82% of its residents are physically active, which is much higher than in most other states. Utah leads the nation in volunteer work, which, by nature, involves close contact with people being served. It ranks fifth in the amount people spend per household on social activities, even after adjusting for the relative cost of living.
These are, generally speaking, good things. People in the Beehive State are active and healthy, and they are good neighbors,
But what the survey did not measure is the willingness of state residents to sacrifice their own desires for the welfare of others. In other words, it did not measure the extent to which Utahns have adjusted their in-person religious gatherings, their work schedules and their recreational activities in order to keep the virus from spreading.
In recent weeks, some have begun protesting, even in Utah, to demand an immediate return to normal economic activity. Thankfully, those folks are not representative of most Utahns.
The state’s cautious approach has been remarkably successful, thus far. Utahns can further distinguish themselves, and protect lives, by carefully transitioning to a stabilization phase that will slowly, and surely, get the economy moving again.