Extension of Current Public Health Orders Continues Through August 15

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon has announced that Wyoming’s current public health orders will remain in place through August 15 as cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in the state.

“It is important for all of us to remain vigilant as we continue to see case numbers increase statewide,” Governor Gordon said. “We are approaching a critical time for our state’s economy. So far, Wyoming has been able to keep our businesses open and our citizens safe. That’s good for our economy and good for the health of our people.”

“As we look towards the fall, we must remember that continued business expansion is a fragile thing and depends on each citizen doing their best to keep our economy flourishing,” the Governor continued. "I sincerely thank those Wyoming citizens who are taking action to keep our businesses open by voluntarily wearing a mask when you can’t socially distance.”

Public Health Order No. 1 has been updated to provide more specific guidelines for school operations. This includes a continuation of the existing requirement that students wear face coverings in situations where 6 feet of separation cannot be maintained. Specific exemptions are listed in the orders. The Wyoming Office of Homeland Security and Wyoming Department of Education have partnered to distribute 500,000 cloth face coverings to school districts around the state. School districts have until Aug. 3 to submit their Smart Start reopening plans to the Department of Education.

Over the past 14 days, Wyoming has averaged 37 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 per day, with 523 new cases confirmed since July 12. From June 28-July 12, Wyoming averaged 28 new cases per day and there were 385 lab-confirmed cases reported. On July 28, the state reported 64 lab-confirmed cases, the highest single-day total since the pandemic began.

The Wyoming Department of Health and the Governor continue to strongly 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 categories of number of new cases and new hospitalizations continue to be rated, “Concerning.”

The continuing orders allow gatherings up to 50 persons in a confined space to occur without restrictions and permit events of up to 250 persons 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. The public health restrictions that apply to restaurants, bars, gyms and performance spaces will remain in place.

As of July 28, Wyoming has recorded 2,136 lab-confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, 453 probable cases and 26 deaths.

The updated public health orders are attached and can be found on Wyoming's COVID-19 website.