CHEYENNE– Governor Mark Gordon discussed his plan for easing COVID-19 Coronavirus restrictions, which will follow slow, incremental, and thoughtful steps.

Early next week, Governor Gordon and Dr. Alexia Harrist, State Public Health Officer, will issue modified public health orders, which will go into affect May 1 through at least May 15.

The modified orders will allow county health officers to submit requests for countywide variances from the previous orders if the public health conditions in the county warrant the change. These variances can either be more or less restrictive, based on county-level data.

Under the modified orders, businesses and professionals such as barber shops, cosmetologists, and gyms may be able to open under operational modifications, depending on county-level data and decisions made by county health officials.

Governor Gordon said they are refining their plans to address businesses such as restaurants and bars.

All decisions made by the state and counties will be made using the two guiding principals of public safety and allowing Wyomingites to get back to work, said Governor Gordon.

“Our country really needs to have a solid economy,” Governor Gordon said.

Schools to Continue Under Adaptive Learning Plans, Room for Flexibility

Jillian Balow, Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction, said the school districts are to continue education under their adaptive learning plans, which are approved through the end of the school year.

However, she said there is some opportunity for schools to provide limited in person education for kids with the most need, such as students under IEPs, as long as proper hygiene and six feet distancing is followed. This will only be allowed after the school district submits reopening plans to the Wyoming Department of Education.

If school districts see a need for allowing some special populations of students to receive in person education, school officials are to work with county health officials to submit their reopening plans to the WDE for approval.

Each district will be required to submit reopening plans to the WDE. Balow noted that school will not simply go back to normal and will need to consider a mixture of virtual and in-person education.

As schools look to reopen either in limited population in the spring, or in the summer or coming fall, they will need to continue ongoing partnerships with county health officials. Balow said this is the new protocol for Wyoming schools.

Metrics Being Used to Make Decisions on COVID-19 Restrictions

Governor Gordon said there are six metrics being utilized and followed to guide their decisions on easing COVID-19 restrictions.

The six health metrics that will be utilized include:

• New cases — have there been fewer cases over time?
• Percent of cases attributed to community spread — is the percentage the same or less?
• Percent of all tests that are positive — is the percentage the same or less?
• Total COVID-19 admissions reported by hospitals — has there been a sustained reduction in total COVID-19 hospitalizations?
• Total hospital bed availability — is bed availability in Wyoming hospitals stable?
• Total ICU bed availability — is ICU bed availability in Wyoming hospitals stable?

Dr. Harrist noted that the counties are going to be following these same metrics when making decisions at the county level. Health officials will be looking at trends in these six metrics, and will be using them as a whole picture rather than one specific measure.

She also said testing capacity and the availability of personal protective equipment will need to be considered as well.

Harrist said that on April 30 when the current public health orders expire, it is important to remember the pandemic is not over. She said the state and counties need to take a step at a time when loosening or tightening restrictions.

Testing Capabilities Improve in Wyoming

Though both Wyoming and the country have experienced shortages in testing supplies and capabilities, Dr. Harrist said the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory in Cheyenne has been working hard to improve the state’s ability to test for COVID-19.

The lab has sent out even more collection supplies to the county, and now have enough capability at the lab to start accept more samples of patients who do not fit into the strict testing guidelines. Now, more symptomatic people who do not fit into those guidelines will be able to be tested at the state lab.

Dr. Harrist also said that healthcare facilities can start doing more elective surgeries again, based on county health officials recommendations and the availability of PPE. The PPE funded or shipped by the state cannot be used toward anything other than COVID-19.

Dr. Harrist noted that Wyoming has seven COVID-19 related deaths, and this serves as a reminder why the restrictive measures taken by the state are necessary and important.

Use of Rainy Day Funds

Earlier this week, Sweetwater County Commissioner Wally Johnson argued that now is a better time than any for the state to tap into their rainy day funds to help get Wyoming back on its feet.

Governor Gordon said that Commissioner Johnson’s point is a “well taken one” and that the state has issued a freeze on new hiring and is directed to find significant cuts to make.

“We will not know the dimension of how much revenue we have lost, we can think about it, but the dimension of that won’t become evident until next month,” Governor Gordon said.

He said he will reserve his answer to whether they will need to tap into the state’s budgetary reserves until they know the exact shortfall the state has experienced due to COVID-19.

View the full video of the press conference below.