Compliance Checks for Cheyenne Restaurants and Bars Amid Spread of COVID
As the number of COVID-19 positive cases in Laramie County continues to increase. Cheyenne-Laramie County Health announced Friday evening that effective immediately, the Health Department will be working closely with the Cheyenne Police Department and Laramie County Sherriff’s office on compliance checks with local restaurants and bars. The checks may result in citations to establishments for failing to comply with State Health orders in place dealing with COVID-19.
Law enforcement has the authority through State Statute to issue citations for establishments “willfully violating, disobeying or disregarding public health laws of Wyoming or orders”. State Statutes authorize citations with penalties ranging between $100 and $1,000.
“It’s unfortunate that we have establishments that are blatantly disregarding the orders which mandate the wearing of face coverings and gloves as well as social distancing in restaurants and bars in Cheyenne. The result is that even though some are doing a great job, others are potentially contributing to the spread of the virus,” stated Dr. Stan Hartman, County Health Officer.
“We hope these steps will prove unnecessary and our businesses are taking appropriate precautions. But we don’t want to go down the road that Texas and Florida have had to take in closing bars again and severely restricting restaurants,” said Mike Moser, Executive Director, WSLA.
Earlier this week, five restaurants were identified with COVID-19 positive staff. Kathy Emmons, Cheyenne Laramie County Health Department Director stated that “the goal was not to imply that these establishments weren’t doing a good job. The goal was to alert the public that they may have been exposed and to watch for potential symptoms. Our hope is that by increasing compliance in all Laramie County establishments we can limit exposure and reduce the spread.”
“We encourage restaurants and patrons across Laramie County and all of Wyoming to follow county and state health orders closely,” Chris Brown, WLRA Executive Director noted. “By doing our part to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, we welcome guests to dine in a safe environment and will be able to get back to regular business sooner.”