Governor Gordon Extends Current Public Health Orders Through July 15

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon announced Monday that the current public health orders have been extended through July 15. Sheridan Media’s Ron Richter has the details.

The public health orders that were set to expire this week have been extended by two weeks and remain unchanged as the number of cases of COVID-19 in the state continues to steadily increase. According to a news release issued by the governor’s office, twenty-five percent of Wyoming’s total number of lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been identified in the past two weeks, with 288 new cases confirmed since the current orders went into effect on June 15. New cases of the virus have been reported in 15 counties and reflects an increase in transmission within Wyoming communities. Governor Gordon continues to stress the importance of personal responsibility and emphasized that a cooperative effort by business owners and patrons is required to prevent businesses from being forced to close.

Gordon said that “it is clear from the recent increase in cases statewide that the dual threat of COVID-19 to both the health of our citizens and to the health of our economy is not going away.” The governor added that “no one wants to see the progress we’ve made vanish, but that requires each of us to make a concerted effort to slow the spread of the virus.” The Wyoming Department of Health and the Governor continue to recommend the use of face coverings in public settings where it is not possible or reasonable to stay physically apart. On Wyoming’s COVID-19 dashboard the number of new cases continues to be rated, “Concerning.”

The continuing orders allow gatherings of up to 50 people in a confined space to occur without restrictions and permit events of up to 250 people with social distancing and increased sanitization measures in place. Faith-based gatherings such as church services and funeral homes will continue to be permitted to operate without restrictions, with appropriate social distancing encouraged. All public health restrictions that apply to restaurants, bars, gyms and performance spaces will remain in place.  As of Monday, Wyoming has recorded 1,151 lab-confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, 299 probable cases and 20 deaths. In Sheridan County, there are now 18 confirmed positive cases, three since last Thursday. The two cases reported on Sunday are not related to the positive case announced last Thursday. The current health orders will remain in place until July 15 and can be viewed here: https://covid19.wyo.gov/governors-orders