Updated Friday at 6:05 p.m.

SHERIDAN — Wyoming State Health Officer Alexia Harrist released a second statewide order forbidding gatherings of 10 people or more to protect the health of the public from the spread of COVID-19, according to a press release sent by the Sheridan County Commission Incident Management Team Friday evening.

Gov. Mark Gordon sent a release in support of the order shortly after. 

“It is an absolute fact that social distancing slows the growth of coronavirus disease,” Gordon said. “I very much appreciate the willingness of our state’s residents to comply with this action. Particularly because it is now becoming clear that young adults 18-50 are also at risk of being hospitalized from COVID-19.” 

“People of any age can spread this disease to others who are especially vulnerable to more serious or life-threatening illness," Harrist said. "We’ve recommended limits on gatherings; this order is an official step to put those recommendations into action. Slowing and limiting the spread of disease is our goal.” 

The order states, “Gatherings are any planned or spontaneous event, public or private, bringing together, or likely bringing together, ten (10) people or more in a single room or a single confined space at the same time.”

There are several exemptions to this order, as follows:

a. Hotels and motels for lodging purposes;
b. Livestock auctions;
c. Groups of workers being transported to a location for their jobs;
d. Government business, military and National Guard facilities, law enforcement, jails, secure treatment centers, and correctional facilities, including any facility operated by the Wyoming Department of Corrections, and any facility used to respond to natural disasters or public health emergencies;
e. State and local government facilities, including government service centers;
f. Relief facilities, including food pantries and shelter facilities;
g. Residential buildings;
h. Grocery stores, markets, convenience stores, pharmacies, drug stores;
i. Truck stops, gas stations, and auto-repair facilities;
j. Retail or business establishments, where more than ten (10) people may be present but are generally not within six (6) feet of one another;
k. Healthcare facilities, including hospitals, and medical facilities, home health agencies, personal care agencies, hospices, adult family homes, mental health centers, and pharmacies;
l. Alcohol and drug treatment centers; and
m. Long-term care and assisted living facilities, including nursing homes and assisted living facilities, as long as facility complies with guidance and directives from the CDC, the Wyoming Department of Health, and appropriate licensing and regulatory agencies.

In order to help local businesses navigate through this difficult time, the Sheridan County IMT encourages the community and businesses to visit Wyoming Department of Health’s COVID-19 to look for the new order to be posted.

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