Virus emerges

Alexis Barker
NLJ News Editor
 
Weston County received its first positive case of COVID-19 on May 27, two months after the first case was confirmed in the state, according to both the Wyoming Department of Health and Weston County Public Health Nurse Lori Bickford. Statewide, there have been 700 confirmed cases of the disease, at least one in each of the state’s 23 counties. 
The information was released via Bickford through Facebook and email, reporting that the county had been informed by the State Health Department of the first confirmed case in a county resident. 
“A female child was tested with a positive result outside of Wyoming but is a Weston County resident,” Bickford said. “It is standard procedure to assign positive test results to the county of residence.” 
Bickford confirmed then that contact tracing was being conducted. Eight hours later, Bickford reported that the contact investigation had been completed and that there was no evidence of community transmission in the county. She later told the News Letter Journal that she cannot provide any additional information on the contact tracing. 
Bickford encouraged people to remain vigilant and reminds them that it was only a matter of time before COVID-19 appeared in the community. 
“What I would like to add is reminding the community to continue to follow the public health precautions for physical distancing of 6 feet from others. If we stay out of other people’s space, then we do not become a contact of the someone who could be positive. Washing hands frequently prevents the potential spread as well and wearing a mask in public places to protect each other from our droplet spread by coughing, sneezing and talking,” Bickford said. “The analogy of wearing
a mask is much like driving a car without a shoulder belt, but you have a lap belt. You wear the lap belt because it’s better than nothing.” 
According to Bickford, Weston County residents will continue to be tested if the situation deems necessary. The health department reports that of the total 134 tests coming out of Weston County, none have resulted in a confirmed case. 
The first confirmed case in the county comes as Gov. Mark Gordon continues to relax restrictions on public gatherings and social distancing requirements, although he urges the public to remain concerned and aware of what is going on. 
Under the governor’s health orders, dated May 27 and effective June 1, gatherings indoors are now permitted for up to 25 people, while outdoor gatherings are now allowed up to 250. Restrictions on “nonessential” businesses were also relaxed somewhat in the new health orders. 
The orders will remain in effect through June 15 unless the health department revokes or extends them before that date. Gordon’s executive
order declaring a state of emergency was signed on March 13; the first health orders shortly followed. 
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state are widespread. Unemployment in the state climbed to 9.2% in April. At the same time last year, the unemployment rate was 3.5%, according to a May 26 report from the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services Research and Planning Division. Weston County’s unemployment rate reached 5.7% in April, up from 3.3% in March. 
“Given the large number of layoffs and other economic disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in unemployment was widely expected,” the unemployment report states. “Job losses were seen across all of the state and in every major industry with the hardest hit sectors being leisure and hospitality, natural resources and mining, and retail trade. Despite the large increase from March (4.3%) to April (9.6%), Wyoming’s unemployment rate was significantly lower than the current United States’ rate of 14.7%.”
Unemployment rates increased in every county across the state, although Weston County fared better than others. 
“The lowest unemployment rates were found in Niobrara county at 4.4%, Albany County at 5.4%, Weston County at 5.7% and Crook County at 5.8%,” the report states. 
The highest unemployment rates statewide were reported in Teton County, 18.3%; Natrona County, 12.7%; Sublette County, 11.3%; Sweetwater County, 10.5%; and Campbell County, 10.2%. The remaining counties maintained a single-digit unemployment rate, according to the state. 
May unemployment numbers will be released on June 23.