The Teton District Health Officer has issued Public Health Order #20-6 for Teton County, WY, including the City of Jackson, requiring that adults wear face coverings when entering or inside a retail or commercial business in an effort to slow and contain the spread of COVID-19 in Teton County, WY.
Teton District Health Officer, Travis Riddell, MD, MPH made the request to the State Health Officer, Alexia Harrist, MD, PhD due to a steady increase of COVID-19 cases in Teton County since the beginning of June.
Dr. Riddell stated, “A mounting body of scientific evidence has shown that wearing a face covering in public can limit the transmission of COVID-19 from person to person. We feel that now is the time to implement this public health order so that we can confidently continue to reopen our community and serve visitors and locals.”
Riddell went on to say, “Wearing a face covering is one of the many preventative public health measures, such as physical distancing and washing your hands, that we can take as a community to help slow the spread of COVID19. This is going to be truly a community wide effort to ensure we protect the most vulnerable in our community, avert further economic shutdowns, and give our healthcare system a chance to not become overwhelmed as cases rise in Teton County.”
The Teton District Public Health Order requires that:
1. All adults must wear a face covering when inside or in line to enter any retail or commercial business, healthcare facility, or riding in a taxi or public transportation.
2. All employees of a retail or commercial business are required to wear a face covering when interacting with the public.
3. There are multiple exceptions to the order including if a person has a medical condition for whom wearing a face covering would adversely affect their ability to breathe.
Use of masks, physical distancing and hand washing are all important public health measures that will help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
To view the entire Teton District Public Health Order #20-6, or to view the current statewide public health orders that will remain in place through September 30, 2020 please go to the Teton County Health Department website,
http://www.tetoncountywy.gov/2064/COVID-19-Health-Orders.