Gov. Mark Gordon addresses protesters outside of the Wyoming Capitol on Monday. The crowd had showed up to demand a full reopening of the state. (Mike Vanata)

by WyoFile staff

As of 11 a.m., April 21, 2020 

  1. Wyoming: Confirmed cases of COVID-19: 317. Deaths: 6* — Recovered: 237. Probable, untested cases: 111. *Two fatalities confirmed by the Department of Health, four additional fatalities confirmed by the Northern Arapaho Tribe. 
  2. By county: Laramie County leads the state with 73 confirmed cases, followed by Teton with 62, Fremont with 51, Natrona with 38 and Campbell with 13. Two counties, Platte and Weston, have reported no cases. 
  3. Testing: 7,618 tests have been administered and processed, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. Experts and officials agree positive test numbers fall well short of the reality of the disease’s spread.
  4. United States: 788,920 confirmed cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Institute. Total deaths: 42,458 — Total recoveries: 73,533.
  5. The latest: The Northern Arapaho Tribe has confirmed that four members of its tribe who tested positive for coronavirus have died. Two of the four were elders, Northern Arapaho Business Council Chairman Lee Spoonhunter said in a video Tuesday morning. He did not offer details on the others. “The Northern Arapaho Business Council offers heartfelt condolences to the families of the lost loved ones,” Spoonhunter said. However, he said, “because of the restriction put into place, we cannot mourn together as a family or a tribe and give our people the traditional Arapaho protocols to help our people heal.” Spoonhunter implored tribal members to adhere to the tribe’s strict stay-at-home order, acknowledged the difficulty of social isolation and directed comments at youth. “Please stay home. Do not continue to be out in public places, possibly exposing yourselves and our loved ones to this deadly disease,” he said. “Many of you continue to discard the safety of our elders by not adhering to these measures and continue to put your elders, your parents and your grandparents at risk. We sternly ask you to respect our community by … taking these precautionary measures.”
  6. More news: A crowd of around 100 protesters gathered at the Wyoming Capitol in Cheyenne on Monday to urge Wyoming to lift restrictions on gatherings and businesses. Gov. Mark Gordon emerged from his office to address the protesters, offering a prayer and responding to volleys of criticism. Though protesters expressed desires to get Wyoming back to work, Gordon said he will only lift restrictions when health data indicates it’s safe to do so, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports. Current restrictions are in place until April 30. Wyoming is one of only seven states that has not enacted a stay-at-home order. 

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