By Associated Press
CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming could lose more than 26,000 jobs by summer as a result of business shutdowns and isolation measures to contain the coronavirus, according to a report.
Many job losses would be in tourism and hospitality, according to the Wednesday report from the Economic Policy Institute based on a Goldman Sachs analysis.
Leisure and hospitality account for 34,000 jobs across Wyoming. It is the state’s second-largest employment sector after fossil-fuels extraction, according to the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services.
Leaders in Wyoming’s nearly $4 billion-a-year tourism industry expect significant harm from the COVID-19 virus, the Casper Star-Tribune reports.
“The 32,000+ employees that comprise Wyoming’s hospitality and tourism industry are under extreme duress right now,” Wyoming Lodging and Restaurant Association Executive Director Chris Brown said in a statement. “We do not currently have exact unemployment projections, but the numbers are likely to be staggering.”
Significantly less tourism would hit local revenue. Lodging tax revenue in 2019 was $7.7 million for Teton County and $3.1 million for Park County, according to state economist Wenlin Liu.
As of Friday, Gov. Mark Gordon hadn’t enacted a statewide stay-at-home order like neighboring states including Colorado and Montana but urged people to remain at home to prevent spreading the COVID-19 virus. Gordon has ordered the shutdown of schools and businesses including bars and restaurants, theaters and museums through April 3.
Wyoming had at least 70 cases of the new virus in 13 of its 23 counties.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and death. The vast majority of people recover.
