Laramie County Asks For Mandatory Mask Rule

Laramie Countys health officer will ask the state for an order requiring the use of facemasks within the county to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

JA
Jim Angell

October 20, 20202 min read

Mask mandate

Laramie County’s health officer was preparing Tuesday to ask the state for an order requiring the use of facemasks within the county to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Kathy Emmons, executive director for the Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department, told Cowboy State Daily the Cheyenne-Laramie County Board of Health approved a resolution Tuesday to direct the county’s health officer, Dr. Stan Hartman, to draft the order to be submitted to Dr. Alexia Harrist, the state’s public health officer.

“I do know what will happen is the order that is developed at the county level will go to the state Health Department to act on,” Emmons said.

Emmons said the order was still being put together as of Tuesday afternoon and she did not know exactly what it might say.

The move came as the number of active coronavirus cases in Laramie County climbed in a two-week period from 144 to 381 on Tuesday, the second highest number in the state behind Albany County at 435.

The order had the support of Cheyenne Mayor Marion Orr, who spoke in favor of it on a Facebook posting.

“I fully support a mask mandate, as our number of positive cases are surging,” the post said. “We have 2 options in my opinion: Mask Up, or Shut Down. Let’s not revert back to April. Our economy can’t sustain it.”

The state will have to approve the order for it to take effect.

Only Teton County has asked the state to approve a mandatory mask order during the pandemic. It was granted in July.

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Jim Angell

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