Utah to require travel declaration for all incoming travelers

Editor’s note: On Friday, April 10, Utah issued an amended executive order that carved out several exceptions to the travel declaration, including one for commercial drivers. Read about it here.

Starting on Friday, any adult entering Utah will be asked to complete an electronic travel declaration within three hours of entering the state, according to an executive order issued Wednesday, April 8.

Motorists driving into Utah can expect a text message when entering the state from one of nine designated highway entry points. State officials say the information will be used to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The order goes into effect at 8 a.m. on Friday, April 10, and will remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on May 1.

As of publication, there does not appear to be a travel declaration exemption for commercial vehicle drivers. However, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is evaluating the order has sent a letter to Gov. Gary Herbert expressing its concerns.

“We appreciate your efforts to protect Utahans from this dangerous virus, but imposing this extraordinary requirement on commercial motor vehicle drivers is not only a major intrusion of their personal privacy, but will hamper their ability to quickly and efficiently deliver emergency supplies to your state and many others,” OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer states in the letter. “We are also deeply concerned by the lack clarity about how the information contained in a travel declaration form will be used and what steps are being taken to ensure its security. In fact, we believe these factors will ultimately discourage truckers from entering Utah entirely, which will affect your state’s ability to continue receiving critical freight, including medical supplies, food and other vital materials.”

To read the full letter, click here.

On Wednesday, April 8, Gov. Gary Herbert signed Executive Order No. 2020-15, which requires people ages 18 and over entering Utah to complete a travel declaration form. When entering the state, either via highways or airport, travelers will fill out an electronic form asking for the following information:

• Full name.
• Date of birth.
• Point of entry into Utah.
• COVID-19 related health information.
• Whether the individual is a Utah resident or a non-resident visitor or worker.
• Home address.
• Phone number.
• Email address.
• Final destination in Utah if the individual is a non-resident visitor or worker.
• Places the individual has traveled to or from in the previous 14 days.
• Names of individuals traveling with the individual completing the form who are younger than 18 years old.

The Utah Department of Transportation has identified nine locations, primarily interstates, where geofencing has been put in place to send a text message to all vehicles entering the state. Those locations include: Interstate 15 in St. George, Interstate 80 (westbound and eastbound), I-15 from Idaho, Interstate 84 from Idaho, Interstate 70 from Colorado, Interstate 491 from Monticello and Interstate 89.

The Utah Department of Public Safety will send a Wireless Emergency Alert through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System to each person driving into the state who is capable of receiving the alert. The alert will notify the person of the requirement to complete a travel declaration form.

According to Utah DOT Executive Director Carlos Braceras, the state will measure how many people comply with the order. However, there does not appear to be a way to determine if anyone specifically is ignoring the travel declaration. For now, the travel declaration is based on the honor system.