Wyoming base reinstates health measures as virus cases rise
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A resurgence of coronavirus has prompted a U.S. Air Force base in Wyoming to reinstate health protection measures and limit access to watch a Fourth of July fireworks show.
F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne boosted its public health risk level Wednesday after a month at a lower level.
F.E. Warren oversees Minuteman nuclear missiles in southeastern Wyoming, northeastern Colorado and western Nebraska. The higher public-health level requires base personnel to limit in-person meetings and other gatherings amid sharply rising numbers of COVID-19 cases throughout Wyoming.
Veterans and retirees from the community won't be allowed on base like usual to watch the city's annual fireworks display Saturday night. Only active-duty personnel and their families and those with visitor passes will be allowed.
Wyoming as of Thursday had 1,550 reported confirmed and probable cases of the coronavirus including 1,139 who had recovered. Known, active COVID-19 cases topped 400 for the first time and included 75 in Laramie County, home of F.E. Warren.
Statewide, eight people were hospitalized and 20 had died.
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.
In other coronavirus-related developments in Wyoming, Jackson microbrewery Snake River Brewing closed its dining room after two employees tested positive for the coronavirus, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reported.
