Gov. Mark Gordon had strong words for the people in Wyoming during a Wednesday news conference, telling those questioning precautionary measures — such as wearing masks — designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, that acting irresponsibly isn’t helping anyone.
The governor gave an example of how easily the virus is spread stating that a friend of his recently experienced a truck breaking down and called for help.
Someone, Gordon said, who had just tested positive for the coronavirus and wasn’t wearing a mask, came to assist him. This passed on the virus to Gordon’s friend, making him very ill.
“That just tells me our country, our patriotism have gone awry,” Gordon said. “If you are a patriot, if you love this country, you will recognize this is an hour of need for our country and we must come together to help fight this terrible, terrible disease. We can do that … in a way that our children will respect and tell of for generations to come.”
Referring to a copy of U.S. Constitution, he said the document, along with the Wyoming Constitution, is what he lives by and further gives him a strong belief that Wyoming residents will rise up to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“I will say, we act irresponsibly, we put our liberties and our government in jeopardy,” he said. “This is something that every Wyoming citizen should take seriously.”
Gordon also noted during his conference that the virus was neither the flu nor the chickenpox, and certainly not a cold.
Cases are spiking significantly in long-term care facilities, Dr. Alexia Harrist said during the news conference. There are currently 23 lab-confirmed cases in five facilities across the state.
She did point to the lack of outbreaks in Wyoming’s schools, showing that using masks does make a difference when it comes to preventing the spread of the virus.
