Wyoming governor, health officer, order coronavirus closures
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming’s governor and state health officer ordered a two-week closure of a wide range of public places Thursday and plans were made to cancel commercial flights to and from the state’s biggest city amid the spread of the coronavirus.
The order by Gov. Mark Gordon and Dr. Alexia Harrist applies through April 3 to all schools, and daycare centers except those serving essential personnel, that haven’t already closed on an earlier recommendation. All theaters, gyms, conference rooms, museums, bars, nightclubs, coffee shops and employee cafeterias will need to close.
The order also prohibits all dine-in restaurant service, self-serve buffets, salad bars and unpackaged self-serve food services. Restaurant curbside take out and drive-through service may continue.
“This governor has never been inclined to overstep local authority but these are unprecedented times. It is critical that there is uniformity across the state in how social distancing measures are implemented,” Gordon said in a statement.
The move followed significantly different responses to the spreading COVID-19 in Wyoming’s two biggest cities. Earlier Thursday, Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr ordered closures similar to the subsequent state order but Casper Mayor Steve Freel said in a Casper Star-Tribune op-ed Thursday he would not try to tell private businesses how to conduct their business and wanted them to remain open as long as safely possible.
The state order overruled Freel by the end of the day.
Meanwhile, the airport serving Cheyenne will cancel all regular commercial flights starting in April because of concerns about the coronavirus and the air travel demand decrease,
The airport’s only regular service is to and from Dallas. The last American Eagle flight to Dallas will be on April 6. Flights from Dallas to Cheyenne will stop after April 7. Flights are continuing for now to handle a lingering crush of travel demand, said Cheyenne Regional Airport Director Tim Barth.
“As we are looking out over the next two weeks, which is traditionally the spring break period for colleges and for families to take vacations, a number of people would be stranded if the flights stopped right now,” Barth said.
Wyoming Air National Guard flights and non-commercial aviation will continue at the Cheyenne airport, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports.
The Dallas flights have been offered since 2018 under a minimum-revenue guarantee agreement between the airport and operator SkyWest Airlines. Airport officials said they didn’t know when commercial service might resume.
As of Thursday, at least 18 people in Wyoming had tested positive for the coronavirus.
For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms and the vast majority recover. The elderly and people with existing health problems can get pneumonia or other serious illnesses.
In other Wyoming coronavirus news:
— The Wyoming Department of Corrections has canceled inmate visitation and volunteer programs at all prison facilities and is restricting legal consultations to phone, video and non-contact visits. There were no known staff or inmate coronavirus cases, department officials said.
— F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne reported its first coronavirus case in an adult, a male military member who sought medical attention and went into self isolation upon returning from out of state. He did not go on the base after his return, Air Force officials said in a statement.
— The Wyoming Highway Patrol will help ensure deliveries of coronavirus-related medical supplies Thursday amid blizzard conditions forecast for southeast Wyoming, Wyoming Department of Transportation officials said in a statement.
— Four isolated Medicine Bow National Forest cabins in southern Wyoming and northern Colorado that were built for rangers but are now used for recreation will no longer be available for overnight stays through this fall due to coronavirus precautions, national forest officials said in a statement.
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