Governor implores Wyomingites to help curb COVID-19 cases
No state-wide mask mandate for Wyoming at this time
by Pinedale Online!
November 13, 2020
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon started his Friday, November 13th Coronavirus press conference by saying he was very concerned and angry, and yelling at the people of Wyoming.
"Our health, civics and well-being are all being tested in ways we have not seen before," he began. He said we’ve had more deaths of any period in the last 30 days, more hospitalizations, daily records, and hospital capacity issues. He said Wyoming is 5th in the nation for new infections. "It’s safer in Colorado than it is here in Wyoming," he claimed.
He said the increase in new COVID-19 infections is causing local health care facilities to be overwhelmed. The numbers indicate the state is on track to reach 3,000 cases per day, and of those 2% will likely be hospitalized. "If I can’t rely on you, we’ll have to do something else," he said. "All options are on the table."
The Governor has ordered a one-week extension on the current public health orders. "I’m worried about Thanksgiving," he said, "At these trends there’s a lot of people that won’t be there for Christmas."
He asked people to be very careful and think about small social and family gatherings for the upcoming holidays. This is where people get more lax and exposures and transmission are at risk of occurring between friends and family members. "We’ve relied on personal responsibility," he said. "If I can’t rely on you, we’ll have to do something else."
The Governor said masks are definitely helpful to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but he was not instituting a state-wide mask order at this time. He said he has received many letters from people asking for one. He said Wyoming is a local-control state, and they are working closely with local health officials to meet their specific needs and requests for variances and restrictions locally. Masks are just one of the measures helpful in controlling the spread of the virus.
Mike Caballos, Director of Wyoming Department of Health, responded to a reporter’s question about where the new infection spikes are coming from? He said they appear to be coming from all aspects of the communities. He indicated it appears there are a large number of asymptomatic people out there attending schools and social gatherings, not realizing they are sick. They are careful when out on the street, but then relax while at home and spending time with friends. Asymptomatic people may be carrying small loads of the virus, but spread five times longer.
Governor Gordon called for Wyoming citizens to take COVID seriously and get their heads in the game. He indicated that there may be more, stricter measures coming later if the infection numbers don’t start coming down. "Let’s get serious and don’t be knuckleheads about this," he implored.
Click on this link to view the recording of the Governor’s November 13th press briefing on Wyoming PBS (YouTube).
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