Gov. Mark Gordon signs a proclamation May 7, 2020 calling a special session of Wyoming's Legislature. (Michael Pearlman/Office of Gov. Mark Gordon)

As of 10 a.m., May 8, 2020 

  1. Wyoming: Confirmed cases of COVID-19: 483. Deaths: 7. Recovered: 428. Probable, untested cases: 152. 
  2. By county: Fremont County leads the state with 159 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: 12,901 tests have been administered and processed, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. 
  4. United States: 1,256,972 confirmed cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Institute. Total deaths: 75,670 — Total recoveries: 195,036.
  5. The latest: Gov. Mark Gordon said Thursday he plans to ease more restrictions when the current statewide public health orders expire May 15. Gordon anticipates that bars and restaurants will be able to resume indoor dine-in services, with new limitations, he said during a press conference. These requirements include limiting tables to six people or fewer, maintaining minimum distances between tables, having staff wear masks and following new sanitation measures. Gordon also plans to further ease restrictions on personal services like hair salons and tattoo parlors, he said. “We are moving as quickly as we can,” Gordon said, but “we do not want to surrender the ground we have gained.” For the state to continue, he said, “we need the cooperation of the people in Wyoming. We must continue to be vigilant, and we must realize this is not a simple return to the old way of business before this pandemic began.” State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist said the state still has areas of concern, including zones of community spread. More testing is available, she said, and encouraged people who have COVID-19 symptoms to call their healthcare providers and not avoid being tested. Nine patients in the state were hospitalized with the disease as of Thursday, Gordon said. 
  6. More news: The order mandating out-of-state visitors to Wyoming to self-quarantine for 14 days expires on Friday. Wyoming Game & Fish Department will resume the sales of out-of-state fishing licenses on May 9. In Teton County, merchants reported $87 million in total taxable sales for the rough period of March, a 23% decline. This took total taxable sales for the month back to the levels seen in 2015-2017, according to data collected by Jackson Town Council member and economic consultant Jonathan Schechter. It was also the biggest drop seen in any first quarter month since 2010, the heart of the Great Recession.

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