People in Wyoming will be able to spend a few more hours in their favorite restaurants or watering holes starting this weekend as restrictions put in place to slow the spread of coronavirus are allowed to expire.
The public health order issued in December requiring restaurants and bars to be closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. will expire Saturday.
However, the statewide orders requiring the use of face masks in public settings and limiting public gatherings to 10 people or fewer remain in place.
Gov. Mark Gordon and Dr. Alexia Harrist, the state’s public health officer, in December issued the health order restricting business hours for areas where people could be expected to congregate.
The order was issued in early December as the state faced steep increases in the number of active coronavirus cases.
To provide some relief for businesses that lost business due to restricted hours, Gordon in early December launched a restitution program using federal coronavirus assistance money.
On Jan. 2, Gordon announced he would lift the restrictions on businesses because the number of people receiving hospital treatment for coronavirus had dropped dramatically.
Gordon credited the decline to the actions of Wyoming residents who responded to his call to follow precautions to slow the spread of the virus.
“Thank you to the people of Wyoming who recognized the strain on their hospitals and health care workers and acted accordingly,” Gordon said in a release.
However, the order requiring the use of face masks in public when social distancing is not possible will remain in effect until Jan. 25, as will the order limiting public gatherings to 10 people or fewer.
