SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Amid apprehension about a possible outbreak of coronavirus, Utah lawmakers are distancing themselves from a political mainstay of handshaking while a major business conference scheduled for mid-March with Michelle Obama speaking has been canceled.
Signs posted around the capitol on Tuesday declared public spaces to be “a handshake-free zone,” for lawmakers and visitors, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Republican House speaker Brad Wilson urged his colleagues and their interns to stay home if they are feeling under the weather. He also promoted measures like hand sanitizer and hand washing.
He said the issue is serious, and the state is doing everything it can to be prepared for the “likely” arrival of the virus.
“I think we’re in good hands,” Wilson said. “But let’s not do hand-shaking the rest of the session.”
Qualtrics International Inc. announced Tuesday it is postponing its annual summit because of health concerns brought by the coronavirus, rescheduling it for a yet-to-be determined date in early fall. The conference would have brought about 16,000 attendees to Salt Lake City to hear speeches from Michelle Obama, Ellen DeGeneres and Matthew McConaughey among others. Qualtrics is a Provo-based survey-software provider.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.