Month: April 2020

Uintah Basin Healthcare has joined the effort to expand local COVID-19 testing, pairing with TriCounty Health Department and TestUtah.com. The new testing site is at Uintah Basin Medical Center in Roosevelt, where they were already performing testing as a hospital but they had limited tests and previously very few people qualified to be tested.

The Utah Department of Transportation has a plethora of projects that are planned for the 2020 construction season. There are eleven projects throughout Uintah, Duchesne, and Daggett Counties. Several of the projects include chip sealing and resurfacing Highway 40. On S.R. 87 near Lake Fork Creek bridge and on S.R. 44, UDOT will be installing guardrails, upgrading the parapet, concrete barrier, and installing no passing markers.

While the conditions that were created by the introduction of COVID-19 have generally brought out the best in our community, there are some incidents where that is not true. The Uintah Basin has a variety of nature centered parks and activities that we can enjoy. Sadly, there has been a spike of vandalism and graffiti happening specifically at Moonshine Arch.

The Uintah Recreation District will be having a soft opening of the Community Center per the Public Health Order 2020-02 starting Monday, April 20th. There are several things to note before showing up. First, there is no open swim, spin classes, or team sports.

While there was originally a shortage of tests, the state of Utah now has unused supplies and has opened up more COVID-19 drive-through testing locations around the state, including one that opened in Vernal on Thursday. The Uintah County Sheriff’s Office is helping spread the word.

Making history in several ways, the Utah Legislature started a special session on Thursday to address topics that have come up due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the first time the Legislature has called itself into a special session and it is the first time a special session is being held remotely through the use of technology.

Back in 2017, expert on tourism and economic development Roger Brooks evaluated the Vernal area and among his recommendations for the area was implementing an effective wayfinding system.

The Bureau of Reclamation announced this week that the Flaming Gorge Dam and Visitor Center has been closed to all visitors until further notice. “Visitation has been closed during the winter season and would normally reopen on April 15th,” shares their announcement.