9 more residents of Salt Lake County get virus, state says

Nine more residents of Salt Lake County have contracted the new coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in Utah’s most populated county to 14, health officials said Saturday.

All of the new cases are linked to travel or contact with a person who has the virus, the Salt Lake County Health Department said in a statmenet.

The department said it “doesn’t believe any of the cases are a result of local transmission in Salt Lake County.”

Eleven of the 14 cases are adults over the age of 18 and three are children, the department said.

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Two of the infected children attended school while they had the virus. Two schools are potentially affected: Hunter High School in West Valley City and Entheos Academy, a charter school with campuses in Magna and Kearns, the department said.

The department said it has instructed students and staff of both schools to quarantine at home until March 27 and monitor themselves for symptoms, which include cough, fever and shortness of breath.

On Friday, state officials said Utah will close most public school functions starting starting Monday to reduce the risk of spreading the virus, though doors will stay open to help families who need things like tutoring and meals.

Gov. Gary Herbert said the plan is for learning to move online or through packets sent home, with each district devising its own plans soon.

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