Bars, restaurants in Wyoming can resume late-night service
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Associated Press
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Bars and restaurants across Wyoming will be allowed to return to normal operating hours beginning Jan. 9 as COVID-19 hospitalizations decline in the state.
Gov. Mark Gordon made the announcement Saturday, praising businesses for adapting to health orders and thanking “the people of Wyoming who recognized the strain on their hospitals and health care workers and acted accordingly,” The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reported.
“These have not been easy times for anyone,” he said. “We are not out of the woods yet, but continued personal safety measures while the vaccine is being distributed will enable our state’s schools and businesses to continue to remain open.”
The updated health orders allow bars and restaurants to resume onsite consumption from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and they allow gyms to increase the number of participants in group fitness classes from 10 to 25.
Counties can still opt out of the requirements if local conditions move to safer levels in accordance with White House metrics.
On Dec. 30, Wyoming hospitals reported 113 COVID-19 patients, down from a peak of 247 on Nov. 30. However, the state reported 223 COVID-19 deaths in December, the highest number since the pandemic started in March.
For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some people, especially older adults and people with health problems, it can cause more severe illness and death.