Health Department Updates School Quarantine Guidance

The Wyoming Department of Health recently released updated guidance for public health professionals conducting investigations in K-12 schools. The new guidance allows for students to stay in school even if they were in close contact with a COVID-19 positive case as long as everyone involved was consistently wearing a face mask. If either the COVID-19 positive or the close contact were not wearing their mask, they will be asked to quarantine for 14 days.

Sheridan County Public Health Nurse Manager Debra Haar said in a media release from Sheridan County, that masks are most effective when the whole community wears them and they are happy the evidence has demonstrated this enough to reduce the amount of students who would have to quarantine following a close contact to a positive case. Public Health is currently working with Sheridan County schools to determine if any of the currently quarantined students can end their quarantine early and return to school given this new guidance. To date, there has been no evidence of COVID-19 transmission at Sheridan County schools. Most Sheridan County cases are currently originating through close contact with a positive case within the community.

Wednesday, the number of laboratory confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wyoming increased by 137, which is the largest single day increase of new cases since the pandemic began in March. The total number of confirmed active cases in Wyoming is 696. There were 8 new positive cases in Sheridan County Wednesday, which brings the total number of active cases in the County to 55. There is currently one person hospitalized in Sheridan due to COVID-19. Sheridan County COVID-19 statistics can be found with the link provided below.