SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah healthcare company executives called on state leaders to require masks as intensive care unit bed space dwindles amid a sustained surge in coronavirus cases.
The newest plea comes one day after Republican Gov. Gary Herbert said he will require masks in schools as they reopen in the fall, but stopped short of a statewide mandate.
Dr. Thomas Miller of University of Utah Health says masks are proven to help stem the spread of the virus. State figures show that about 67% of the state's intensive care unit beds are occupied.
That's up from 59% in mid-June.
