COVID-19 daily briefing: April 9, 2020

As of 3 p.m., April 9, 2020 

1. Wyoming: Confirmed cases of COVID-19: 239. Recovered: 94.
2. By county: Laramie County leads the state with 54 confirmed cases, followed by Teton with 50, Fremont with 38, Natrona with 27 and Sheridan with 12. Four counties have reported no cases. 
3. Testing: 4,975 tests had been administered and processed, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. Experts and officials agree testing numbers fall well short of the reality of the disease’s spread.
4. United States: 452,582 confirmed cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Institute. Total deaths: 11,129  — Total recoveries: 24,790.
5. The latest: Gov. Mark Gordon submitted a request to President Trump asking for a major disaster declaration for Wyoming. The declaration would allow Wyoming’s 23 counties as well as the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes to access funding and assistance services during the pandemic. “Though Wyoming has not reached the dire situations for some states, this declaration will help us to prepare and mobilize resources when we need them,” Gordon said in a release. During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Gordon said he wants to discourage people from visiting the state. He asked non-residents not to visit Wyoming to collect shed antlers this spring, and said he is requesting the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to suspend the sale of short-term fishing licenses to out-of-state residents.  
6. More news: In Teton County, where 50 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, nearly 2,000 residents signed a petition asking Gordon to approve a stronger community stay-at-home order for them. That request was initially declined, according to the Jackson Hole News&Guide. About 20 people gathered in a Casper park to protest what they see as government overreach in the outbreak response, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. 

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