2 Utah businesses told staff to ignore COVID-19 guidelines, resulting in 68 infections

Nearly half the staff of a Utah business contracted COVID-19 after the company told employees to ignore pandemic guidelines and report to work even if infected, local officials said.

Between this business and another in the county that also “did not follow COVID-19 best practices,” a total of 68 employees tested positive for coronavirus, Utah County executives revealed this week, according to the Daily Herald.

“We found these businesses instructed employees to not follow quarantine guidelines after exposure to a confirmed case at work and required employees with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis to still report to work,” the officials said in a statement.

“This is completely unacceptable and resulted in a temporary full closure for one business along with heightened requirements for future cleaning and inspections,” it said.

The Utah County Health Department declined to release the names of the businesses Tuesday, citing privacy concerns.

It was through contact tracing that the Utah County Health Department was able to identify the two businesses, officials said.

County executives blasted the businesses for “putting employees, their families and ultimately the health of the community at risk,” the Herald reported.

Employers that don’t follow guidelines “jeopardize Utah County efforts to reopen businesses affected by the pandemic,” they reportedly said.

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