at the house chamber through a video call from his hospital bed. he was able to speak to the chamber with a tracheotomy valve and vote on the remaining bills. after being unconscious for several weeks, he said he would have to "learn how to walk and swallow and do all those basic things we take for granted". on march 18, during a monthly news conference governor spencer cox announced starting march 24, all utahns ages 16 and older can get the covid-19 vaccine. on march 24, governor cox signed hb294. on march 25, governor cox received his first dose of the covid-19 vaccine. april 2021 on april 1, governor cox announced that over 500,000 utahns are now fully vaccinated for covid-19 and none of the state's counties remain on the "high" level of the state's transmission index. on april 10, utah's mask mandate ended, with exception of k-12 schools (still requiring masks until june 15), gatherings with more than 50 people, and state buildings. local governments and businesses are allowed to mandate masks. after peaking in early april, vaccinations began to drop sharply. may and june 2021 on may 4, the utah department of health declared the expiration of all local public health orders related to covid-19. on may 12, the utah department of health recommended that vaccine providers offer the vaccine to children aged 12 and over. on may 27, 37% of utahns were fully vaccinated. in early june, the delta variant became the most frequent variant in utah, and cases began rising again. on june 19, nearly 42% of the state was fully vaccinated. july 2021 on july 27, the great majority of utah's counties had a transmission level that fell within the cdc's new recommendation for even vaccinated people to wear indoor masks. just over 45% of the state was fully vaccinated. august 2021 on august 2, 82.1% of intensive care beds in the state were filled. the utah hospital association reactivated its transfer center to help move patients to hospitals with available beds. angela dunn, executive director of the salt lake county health department, said that utah no longer had surge capacity because many health care workers had left due to burnout. on august 12, the first presidency of the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints issued a statement urging individuals to be vaccinated and to use face masks. government response a statewide state of emergency was declared by governor herbert, and all schools were ordered closed and to switch to online classes by march 18. statewide high school activities were canceled. the public school closure was extended through may 1. later it was extended for the rest of the school year. the state prohibited gatherings of more than 10 individuals, with exceptions, and dine-in service in restaurants. the state ordered that all elective surgeries and procedures shall be postponed to prepare the healthcare system for a surge in coronavirus patients. salt lake, davis, weber/morgan, tooele, summit, and wasatch counties issued stay-at-home orders. mountain america expo center in sandy was set up as an overflow patient treatment center. the state ordered all adults entering the state to fill out an online travel declaration, with notice initially delivered using wireless emergency alerts in mobile coverage areas near the state border (although this was later stopped and replaced with road signs due to technical issues, including reports of residents in nearby regions who received the alert repeatedly). phased guidelines system the state's phased guidelines system is divided into red, orange, yellow, and green phases. in each phase, high-risk individuals have stricter instructions than the general guidelines because they are more likely to develop severe illness from covid-19. orange general guidelines for individuals: gather in groups of twenty or fewer while maintaining social distancing. leave home infrequently, and stay six feet away from others. wear face coverings in public settings. maintain social distancing during outdoor recreation. limit out-of-state travel. churches should keep space between immediate households, alternate schedules for small gatherings, and stream services. general guidelines for businesses: high-contact businesses can operate under strict protocols. restaurant takeout, pickup, or delivery is encouraged. dine-in services are allowed with extreme precaution. offer telecommuting options when possible, follow strict hygiene policies, and continue social distancing in the workplace. yellow general guidelines for individuals: gather in groups of fifty or fewer while maintaining social distancing. stay six feet away from others when outside the home. wear face coverings when social distancing is difficult to maintain. check for symptoms before engaging in close-contact or team sports. limit out-of-state travel. churches should keep space between immediate households, alternate schedules for small gatherings, and stream services. general guidelines for businesses: all businesses should open and take reasonable precautions. dine-in service is open with appropriate social distancing and hygiene measures. encourage flexible work arrangements, follow hygiene policies, and continue social distancing in the workplace. contact tracing