Assembled with materials like pool flotation noodles, garbage bags and duct tape, a massive face mask and pair of sunglasses cover a gazebo at a Rawlins residence. (Ray K. Erku/ Rawlins Times/Wyoming News Exchange)

As of 11 a.m., May 7, 2020 

  1. Wyoming: Confirmed cases of COVID-19: 479. Deaths: 7. Recovered: 416. Probable, untested cases: 152. 
  2. By county: Fremont County leads the state with 155 confirmed cases, followed by Laramie with 109, Teton with 67, Natrona with 38 and Campbell with 16. Two counties, Platte and Weston, have reported no cases. 
  3. Testing: 12,715 tests have been administered and processed, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. 
  4. United States: 1,231,992 confirmed cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Institute. Total deaths: 73,573 — Total recoveries: 189,910.
  5. The latest: Wyoming saw a significant spike in new confirmed cases Wednesday. Of the 27 new cases, 24 occurred in Fremont County, where officials say community spread is likely still occurring. The jump in cases “is a result of testing contacts of individuals who are positive for COVID-19,” Fremont County Public Health Officer Dr. Brian Gee said in a press release. “After speaking with those involved with contact tracing, this would suggest continued community spread is occurring in parts of the county.” The process of contact tracing and isolation along with subsequent testing, Gee said, is important for communities as “it helps providers know who has the disease (even with minimal symptoms) and to enact isolation and quarantine orders which keeps individuals from the community at large.” As of Thursday 71 of the county’s cases were in Riverton, followed by 24 in Lander and 17 in Ethete, according to the Fremont County Incident Management Team.
  6. More news: BNSF Railway announced Wednesday it will close two facilities in Wyoming and lay off 122 workers in response to tough market conditions for coal, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. Four more counties — Goshen, Niobrara, Uinta and Hot Springs — have won state approval to open bars and restaurants for limited operation, the Wyoming News Exchange reports. In Campbell County, meanwhile, a new COVID-19 case has paused the county’s effort to reopen restaurants and bars, according to the Gillette News Record.

Support independent reporting during trying times — donate to WyoFile today.

Leave a comment

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for: 

  • Your real name — first and last. 
  • Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
  • The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
  • Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
  • Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
  • No more than three comments per story, including replies. 

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

  • Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
  • Comments that are not directly relevant to the article. 
  • Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
  • Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
  • Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know: 

  • Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement. 
  • We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
  • We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance. 
  • Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
  • We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you. 

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *