It took three weeks of debates, rewritten drafts and public meetings before Teton County Health Officer Dr. Travis Riddell saw a face mask order signed and delivered to his community. It was the middle of summer and tourism was booming.
While travel statewide had been devastated by the pandemic, Teton County was as busy as ever with myriad tourists hoping for a pandemic-friendly outdoor vacation. Visitation to Yellowstone National Park actually grew 2% from July 2019 to July 2020.
âPart of the reason I think we had a mandate in the first place here is weâre such a big tourist town,â Riddell said. âThere was fear that that meant a lot of virus being introduced into our community.â
Wyoming health official: so-called pandemic communist plot By Associated Press AP
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CASPER, Wyo. (AP) A Wyoming Department of Health official involved in the state s response to the coronavirus questioned the legitimacy of the pandemic and described a forthcoming vaccine as a biological weapon at a recent event.
The “so-called pandemic” and efforts to develop a vaccine are plots by Russia and China to spread communism worldwide, department readiness and countermeasures manager Igor Shepherd said at the Nov. 10 event held by the group Keep Colorado Free and Open.
Shepherd was introduced as and talked about being a Wyoming Department of Health employee in the over hour-long presentation in Loveland, Colorado.
Restaurant win, skiing changes, seafood boost: News from around our 50 states From USA TODAY Network and wire reports, USA TODAY
Alabama
Montgomery: Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday extended a mask order until Jan. 22 as the state experiences a record-setting surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Ivey and State Health Officer Scott Harris announced the extension during a news conference at the Alabama Capitol. The order, which requires face coverings to be worn in public when interacting within 6 feet of people outside one’s household, had been scheduled to expire Friday. The Republican governor cited the rising case numbers as she announced the extension. Ivey said she has not seriously considered another lockdown. Alabama this week hit a record for the number of patients in hospitals with COVID-19 with more than 2,000 people hospitalized. The state also saw a record number of daily cases with more than 3,000 new infections being reported daily. The seven-day