Mask mandate issued in Carbon county

On November 18, Carbon County became one of nine other counties in the state to institute a mask mandate. The total number of counties in Wyoming with such a mandate is now at 12 with the public health orders coming as active cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) within the state continue to rise.

Dr. Wayne Couch, public health officer for Carbon County, first announced the mask mandate during the November 17 meeting of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners (BOCCC). At that time, the health order had already been submitted to State Health Officer Alexia Harrist and was signed later that day. 

The order, which can be found on the Carbon County website, applies to adults in certain public places with exemptions included in the health order. Under the mask mandate, people within Carbon County will be required to wear a mask in the following circumstances:

When inside, or waiting in line to enter, any retail or commercial business or any municipal or county government building open to the public

When obtaining services at or visiting hospitals, clinics, walk-in health facilities, dentists, pharmacies, blood banks, behavioral health facilities and veterinary clinics

When waiting for or riding on public transportation or while riding in a taxi, private care service, shuttle, tour bus or ride-sharing vehicle. Drivers must also wear a face covering.

The order goes on to state that all retail and commercial businesses, and municipal and county government buildings open to the public, must post notices in a clearly visible location stating that face coverings are required.

Additionally, all employees, owners and volunteers of retail and commercial businesses, and employees and volunteers of municipal and county government buildings, must wear face coverings when interacting with the public or working in a space visited by members of the public. Examples include; reception areas, grocery store aisles, services counters, public restrooms, cashier and checkout areas, waiting rooms, services areas and other spaces that are used to interact with the public.

Exemptions to the health order state that face coverings are not required if a person works in a personal office on their own and will not be in regular contact with the public. Additionally, the health order does not apply to minors though it is encouraged that children over the age of three wear a face covering as well. 

Also exempted from the mask mandate are people who have a medical condition, mental health condition or disability that prevents them from wearing a face covering. Additionally, individuals who are hearing impaired or who are communicating with an individual who is hearing impaired are exempt from the order.

The day after Couch announced the public health order at the BOCCC meeting, the county commissioners issued a press release explaining the reason behind the order.

“Wyoming Statute 35-1-240 gives the Wyoming State Health Officer the sole authority to issue orders as necessary to protect health and control the spread of communicable diseases,” the press release read. “There are (sic) a limited amount of medical resources and bedspace available at Memorial Hospital of Carbon County and Carbon County’s regional tertiary care facilities are presently trained with their existing critical care and regular medical ward hospital bedspace. Carbon County’s COVID-19 cases are spreading at an exponential rate and the virus is growing faster in Wyoming than any other state.”

The press release further explained that the mask mandate was separate from other orders issued by the Wyoming State Health Officer, the Carbon County Health Officer and the existing operating plans for the two school districts in Carbon County.

The mandate currently has an expiration date of December 4, though Couch stated on November 17 that the expiration date could be amended if it appeared that resources continued to be strained or the number of active cases continued to rise.