JACKSON, Wyo. — Gyms, barbershops, hair salons, and other personal care services can begin to reopen May 1 under limited conditions.
Governor Mark Gordon announced that the state has modified two health orders, effective Friday, May 1. The two orders were set to expire Friday. Instead, they have been extended but modified to allow phased reopenings
“These new orders start our process of getting this part of Wyoming’s economy up and running again,” Governor Gordon said in a press release. “We have asked Wyoming citizens to make sacrifices over the past five weeks and they have responded. I want to thank these businesses for playing such an important role in our initial battle with COVID-19. Easing the restrictions on these businesses at this time is prudent and gets us one step closer to a return to normal.”
Another part of this phase allows some additional localized approaches to further easing restrictions based on local expertise and health data.
“We all recognize that the virus has had severe impacts in some Wyoming communities, while other towns and counties have been spared,” Governor Gordon said. “This plan takes into account the continued safety of our citizens and establishes a process to consider some case-by-case exceptions to state health orders when appropriate. It is important that we do not surrender the ground we have taken and that we extend our gains against this virus.”
Under modified order Number 1, gyms will be permitted to open on May 1 by adhering to public health guidelines outlined in the new order. These include limits on the number of patrons in the facility, a requirement that staff wear face coverings, and the closure of locker rooms. Gyms are also prohibited from offering one-on-one personal training and group classes. This order is also modified to allow child care centers and home daycares to reopen or continue to operate under specific conditions and precautions. These include limiting groups of people to fewer than 10 per room and implementing screening and cleaning protocols.
Under modified order Number 3, nail and hair salons, barbershops; cosmetology, electrology, and esthetic services; massage therapy services; and tattoo, body art and piercing shops may also open in a limited capacity on May 1 under certain conditions. These include operational requirements limiting the number of patrons, screening of patrons and staff for symptoms of illness or exposure to a person with COVID-19, requiring patrons and staff to wear face coverings and eliminating waiting areas.
No business closed through the public health orders is required to open on May 1. Businesses that choose to stay closed are still eligible for assistance from Small Business Administration (SBA) programs.
“I want us to move forward, but safely,” State Health Officer Alexia Harrist said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon. “We need more time to see how this disease progresses overall.”
The Department of Health has also issued updated guidance to hospitals and health care providers outlining how they can resume elective surgeries. That is effective immediately.
Public health order Number 2 limiting public gatherings to 10 persons or fewer has been extended through May 15. The Governor’s directive requiring any individual coming to Wyoming to self-quarantine for 14 days remains in place through April 30. An extension to the directive is currently under review, with a decision expected tomorrow.
All three statewide orders have a provision allowing county health officers to submit requests for countywide variances from those orders if the public health conditions in the county warrant the change.
Gordon encouraged conservative decision making moving forward and urged Wyoming to be patient.
“We will continue to take a methodical and measured approach moving forward. As we see progress, we can continue to move forward,” he said at Tuesday’s press conference. “I’m certain of one thing: if we get this wrong, it is going to be devastating.”
