JACKSON, Wyo. — Moving at a speed not often witnessed from local government officials, town and county elected representatives acted swiftly to ratify new legislation that would further prohibit public gatherings in bars, restaurants, and other private property spaces where 10 or more might gather.
Even before the ‘ink’ was dry on a previous ordinance prohibiting groups of 50 or more, and a day after an ordinance limiting bars and restaurants to half-capacity, additional measures were approved that are more in line with state and federal guidelines now calling for limiting groups to 10 or less.
Town council pressed pause this morning to wait on which local ordinance might be put into effect, if any, as word is expected to come down from the state health officer Dr. Alexia Harrist, who is this morning meeting with Teton County health officer Dr. Travis Riddell.
As a tourist destination where crowds of visitors and locals regularly mingle, Teton County appears to be ahead of the curve compared to what the state has been prepared to do. After meeting with the town and county yesterday, Dr. Riddell has gone to the state to explain what aggressive plans Teton County wishes to put in place. If the Wyoming Department of Health okays the plan, it would supersede any local ordinance.
The push is on to follow guidance issued by the President of the United States, entitled “Coronavirus Guidelines for America: 15 Days to Slow the Spread.” In response to the continued spread of COVID-19, the President’s guidelines suggest avoiding “social gatherings of groups of 10 people or more,” and “eating or drinking in bars, restaurants, and food courts.”
Discussing a possible ordinance today, Town Council agreed that they want to do what is best for the entire community, to slow and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our valley and to “flatten the curve.” Later today, the town council is expected to choose the more aggressive of the options—their own ordinance restricting all public gatherings of 10 or more, or a state mandate from the Health Department, which could look very much the same.
