GOSHEN COUNTY – Governor Mark Gordon announced a statewide mask order in addition to other COVID-19 related restrictions in a press release on Dec. 7.
In a press briefing following the release of the new health orders, State Health Officer Alexia Harrist, M.D., said the face-covering requirement and stricter measures are in response to an increase in COVID-19 related deaths and hospitalizations throughout the state.
“We have required [face coverings] in many settings for multiple months, including schools, and we do feel that’s been successful,” Harrist said. “We are always trying to balance the impact of all of our actions and it has become clear at this point that the previous steps have not been sufficient.”
The health order, in effect between Dec. 9 and Jan. 8, mirrors the county-wide mask mandate implemented in November after a request from Goshen County Health Officer Marion Smith, M.D.
“I am hoping the statewide mask mandate will unify our state and begin to turn the surge around,” Smith wrote in an email to The Telegram.
It requires that individuals 12 years old and older wear face coverings in indoor public spaces, including businesses and government buildings. Gatherings are limited to 10 people, down from Gordon’s previous order of limiting gatherings to 25. Indoor venues can fill up to 25% capacity with a 100-person maximum and outdoor venues must remain at or below 50% capacity with a 250-person maximum.
Per the new health orders, bars and restaurants are also required to close for onsite consumption between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., but takeout and delivery are allowed during these hours. Tables are also limited to six guests instead of the previous eight.
Statewide, the number of active COVID-19 cases has been in decline since late November, but Harrist said she needs to see a consistent decline in active cases.
“Over two months now, while we have seen some brief declines, we really need to see sustained decline in transmission to make sure we are not going to get to a point where we overwhelm our hospitals,” she said. “I do hope these declines continue. We need to see sustained declines and get our levels of transmission to a much lower place.”
Enforcement of the health orders will be left up to local jurisdictions, Harrist said.
Torrington Police Chief Matt Johnson said in November, after the implementation of a county mask mandate, that limited law enforcement resources make a targeted enforcement plan difficult. Goshen County Attorney Eric Boyer said enforcement will be left up to local law enforcement, with the goal of “keeping the public peace.”
According to the Dec. 7 release from Gordon’s office, counties may request a variance to opt-out of portions of the new orders, depending on the rate of transmission. Harrist’s decision on whether to grant a variance will be made based on White House metrics measuring transmission in counties based on cases per a population of 100,000 and test positivity rates, she said.
“We would want to see sustained low levels of transmission over a period of time,” Harrist said. “We will always consider the entire epidemiological situation, including hospital capacity, when we’re making those decisions.”
According to these metrics, Goshen County is in the dark red zone, indicating very high transmission levels, based on case numbers and test positivity rate between Nov. 21 and Dec. 4. More than 20% of COVID-19 tests in the county were positive at that time, the third-highest test positivity rate in the state behind Campbell and Crook counties. Smith said she is not planning to request a variance for Goshen County at this time.
Goshen County recorded __ active COVID-19 cases and ___ total positive cases as of press time Wednesday, according to Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) data.
Community Hospital in Torrington has five COVID-19 patients as of Wednesday.
Hospitalizations decreased from last week, according to a Dec. 7 press release from Goshen County Public Health (GCPH). The hospital is at 56% capacity with 30% coronavirus-related as of the release. A Nov. 30 GCPH release said Community Hospital was at 78% capacity with 58% of patients in for COVID-19 related complications.
“We have seen a lightening in our patient load over the past three to four days,” wrote Community Hospital CEO Zach Miller in an email to The Telegram. “While this is encouraging, we remain vigilant in that there is an expected surge in COVID-19 cases in mid-December and as we move through the remainder of the month.”
Statewide, 206 Wyomingites are hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Dec. 9, according to the COVID-19 Wyoming hospital dashboard.
To date, 280 Wyoming residents have died due to COVID-19 related complications, nine of them Goshen County residents.
The ultimate goal of these new health orders, Harrist said, is to reduce the number of COVID-19 related deaths throughout Wyoming.
“This virus is sending people to hospitals who didn’t have to be there,” Harrist said. “It’s helping cause the deaths of people who could have had more time with their families. We are asking that Wyoming residents help us to do the right things for ourselves, our families and our communities.”
