Dear Governor Herbert and Lieutenant Governor Cox, 3/17/2020

It is at times like these that we, as clear-thinking members of society, need to do what is in the best
interests of our nation, our state and our families to stem the tide of fear and alarm that is continuing to
mount in the face of overwhelming evidence that the escalation of fear is counterproductive. It is
imperative that we facilitate a return to normalcy as soon as possible.

The death toll in the United States and worldwide from the virus absolutely and in no way support the
levels of concern that have been raised and the panic that has spread. The greatest damage to be done
at this point is through continued blindness to the obvious facts before us. If we persist in focusing on
the “number of new cases”, we will prolong the economic, social and political damage that has already
been caused by our bias toward action.

Most respiratory viruses follow a predictable epidemiologic pattern. A small number of cases occur in
the late fall, increase to a peak in February and fall off sharply in the months of March and April. The
irony is, that as we frantically push for more viral tests to be performed, we give the illusion that the
steep incline of confirmed cases represents the actual slope of the spread of the virus. This confirmation
bias leads to elevated panic, quarantine, and irreparable economic damage.

Monitoring the absolute number of deaths (In lieu of the total confirmed case number) is the best way
to truly ascertain the effect of the virus, and keep the disease in perspective. As of yesterday, the total
deaths attributed to the virus in the United States stands at ninety. Not nine hundred, not nine
thousand, not ninety thousand. Ninety. This number is sure to rise in the near future but we need to
keep our wits about us.

Even in China and South Korea an appreciable slowing of new cases is being observed, not totally due to
containment measures, but likely due to the natural life cycle of this respiratory virus. In South Korea as
of yesterday, there have been just eighty-five deaths due to the virus, and death rates in China are
declining. We must look at these numbers critically and ignore the pandemonium and political pressure.
We must do the right thing now or else we will extend this pandemic of fear deep into the coming
months.

Every action you make henceforth that disrupts our economy and way of life will do irreparable harm. As
elected officials in the state of Utah we ask you to discontinue this path of destruction that has already
proven to be devastating to our state and nation. We implore you to consider these points, and to
restore stability to our communities once again. Do not waver.

Sincerely,

County Commissioners and Representative

Phil Lyman-Rep. Mike Bleak-Iron Mark Whitney-Beaver David Tebbs-Garfield

Paul Cozzens-Iron Gil Almquist-Wash. Tammy Pearson-Beaver Darin Bushman-Piute

Alma Adams-Iron Mike Dalton-Beaver Jerry Taylor-Garfield Leland Pollock-Garfield

Andy Gant-Kane Brad Horrocks-Uintah Lamont Smith-Kane Bart Haslam-Uintah

Scott Dalton-Piute Gina Worthen – Cache County