Wyoming tourist county pursues COVID-19 indoor mask order
JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - Health officials in a northwestern Wyoming county busy with visitors to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks want to require people to wear masks indoors to limit spread of the coronavirus.
A rise in reported cases prompted Teton County Health Officer Dr. Travis Riddell to announce Tuesday he will seek permission from state officials to impose the local order.
The order would also require people to wear masks while waiting in lines outdoors. Exceptions indoors would include instances when mask-wearing is impractical, such as while eating at a restaurant.
It wasn't clear when State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist might approve the request. Such reviews typically occur quickly, Wyoming Department of Health spokeswoman Kim Deti said.
Teton County on Wednesday had six new known cases within the previous day, one of biggest increases in the state. Park County on the eastern side of Yellowstone had 13 new cases.
The Jackson Town Council held a special meeting Monday to consider and vote unanimously on a resolution supporting the mask-wearing requirement, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reported.
"I sure hope this goes into effect countywide as soon as possible," Town Councilor Jim Stanford said at the meeting. "I think it's a bit overdue."
Known active COVID-19 cases across Wyoming continued to reach new highs.
The Wyoming Department of Health on Wednesday reported 1,487 laboratory-confirmed and suspected coronavirus cases in the state, including 1,097 people who had recovered from the illness. Nine people were hospita! lized and 20 had died of the COVID-19 illness.
Worldwide, the number of infections is thought to be far higher than reported numbers because many people haven't been tested and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.
