With the

ongoing increase in coronavirus cases

in Sublette County, the Sublette County

Commission has directed the Sublette

COVID-19 Response Group to amp up efforts

to help reduce the spread of the virus.

Residents and visitors will soon be

seeing an increase in signage and messaging

throughout our communities, providing

updates about the status of the virus in the

county and recommended measures to slow

the spread.

The Sublette COVID-19 Response Group

is an interagency incident team consisting

of federal, state and local agencies and

governments, emergency responders,

medical professionals, public health officials

and community and volunteer organizations

addressing the COVID-19 pandemic

in Sublette County. This team works to

coordinate COVID-19 response in the county,

from the distribution of personal protective

equipment, to addressing informational needs

among agencies.

The county’s lab-confirmed case count

jumped from 4 on July 10 to 23 earlier this

week. The viral illness has affected a broad

range of people in the county, from children

to work crew members ranging in age from

the 20s to 40s, among others. Although some

patients experience mild illness and can

recover at home, other patients experienced

more severe illness and were hospitalized for

intensive medical care. Since Sublette County

does not have a hospital, these patients are

transported to a hospital elsewhere.

Hospitals throughout the region are

experiencing increases in coronavirus

patients, and some hospitals have reported

that both patients and staff have fallen ill with

the virus.

The increase in cases and hospitalizations

in Wyoming prompted state officials to extend

the current health orders through Aug.15. In a

press conference Tuesday, Gov. Mark Gordon

urged the public to take the simple actions

recommended by health officials to help curb

the spread: stay home when sick, wash your

hands often, maintain social distancing both

indoors and out, and wear face coverings or

masks whenever you are in indoor public

spaces or in outdoor crowds where social

distancing is not possible. As Wyoming’s

schools plan to reopen to on-site instruction

in just a few weeks, it’s important that citizens

actively work now to prevent further spread

of the virus.

Citing numerous states around the country

that have once again imposed restrictions

on businesses (including closing bars and

restaurants) Gordon said practicing these

simple precautions can make a difference in

what happens with the state’s economy and

schools.

Sublette County’s COVID-19 website

(sublettewycovid.com) remains the

information hub for accurate and current

information about the virus in Sublette

County, as well as @SubletteCovid on

Facebook. The Response Group will issue

frequent public updates, and will soon move

its Facebook Live video briefings from the

Sublette County Sheriff’s Office page to the

@SubletteCovid Facebook page.