November 19, 2020 Update

The Covid-19 numbers are way up again - close to 4,000 in Utah with 18 new deaths.  And almost 1,000 new cases in Utah County alone.   Kind of sobering.   Let's be sure to stay vigilant and extra careful as we interact with others over the next week or so!   

CORONAVIRUS STATS

Nationally, the CDC reports 11,981,180 cases with 257,331 fatalities.

Utah:  165,996 cases (up 3,968 from yesterday); 7,215 hospitalizations; 756 deaths (up 18 from yesterday)

Utah County:  4,296 cases (up 964 from yesterday); 1,280 hospitalizations; 112 deaths (up 5 from yesterday)

NEWS YOU CAN USE

• With Salt Lake County closing its arts venues between Thanksgiving and New Years, a lot of folks will be missing their "Nutcracker Tradition."  The good news is that Ballet West will be broadcasting the Nutcracker on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.  
• Local doctors are encouraging extra caution this Thanksgiving during the pandemic.  They share with Fox13 some of their ideas for a safer Thanksgiving.  
• On a related note, Zoom is waiving its 40-minute limit for free Zoom calls for Thanksgiving.  
• Governor Herbert issued state-recommended guidelines for Thanksgiving dinners and other activities.  

PROVO SOCIAL MEDIA

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THE MAYOR'S DAY

Today, Mayor Kaufusi:

• Met with officials from the BYU administration
• Met with Customer Service Director Karen Larsen
• Attended a meeting with the architects and contractors working on the City Center project
• Met with the Mayor's Office staff on the city's draft communications plan for 2021
• Discussed development proposals around a local charter school
• Attended the American Public Power Association Policy Makers Council meeting

FUN STUFF

I know many of us are missing flying in this pandemic season.  With grandkids in the Chicago area, Julie and I likely would have been out to visit them last summer, likely traveling by air.  So I thought that a fun moment with a Southwest Airline flight attendant might be just the ticket to take us into the weekend.  

Have a great weekend.  I will be off next week, so no daily updates unless something unusual comes up.  I hope you enjoy your socially distanced Thanksgiving.  Julie and I will still be baking pies - just delivering them to family members rather than enjoying them together as we usually would.  It will be kind of weird to be cooking Thanksgiving Dinner (turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls and a relish tray) just for the two of us.  Hard day - but at least it will be memorable!  And I can count on a little television football - maybe the only Thanksgiving tradition that will be the same as past years.  

Have the best Thanksgiving you can under the circumstances and we will be back again with the Daily Updates  the week after Thanksgiving.  Stay well and stay safe!

Wayne