A tyrannosaurus rex statue at the University of Wyoming, which normally stands sentinel over a stream of college students and professors, finds itself without an audience in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Andrew Graham/WyoFile)

Beginning April 8, WyoFile will publish its COVID-19 daily briefing at 3:30 p.m. to align with a new Wyoming Department of Health updating schedule. 

As of 10 a.m., April 7, 2020 

  1. Wyoming: Confirmed cases of COVID-19: 216. Recovered: 52
  2. By county: Laramie County leads the state with 47 confirmed cases, followed by Teton with 41, Fremont with 38, Natrona with 26 and Sheridan with 12. Five counties have reported no cases. 
  3. Testing: 4,005 tests had been administered and processed, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. Experts and officials agree testing numbers fall short of the reality of the disease’s spread.
  4. United States: 368,533 confirmed cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Institute. Total deaths: 11,008  — Total recoveries: 19,972.
  5. The latest: The Wyoming Department of Health recommended Monday that residents wear cloth face coverings in public settings such as grocery stores or pharmacies — aligning with new CDC recommendations. As experts continue to learn more about the novel coronavirus, it’s becoming apparent that people can transmit it to others before showing symptoms, State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist said in a release. “This means the virus can spread between people who are close to each other without them realizing it is happening,” Harrist said. “That is the reason for this change and the new recommendation.” In Fremont County, where healthcare providers have directed 750 people with COVID-19-like symptoms to self-isolate over the last two weeks, officials also encouraged everyone to wear masks.
  6. More news: More Wyoming newspapers make cuts amid falling ad revenues. Requests pour in from workers who want to be designated “essential” in Wyoming, and Gov. Mark Gordon is one of the last remaining governors not to issue a statewide stay-at-home order. The University of Wyoming has canceled its traditional spring commencement ceremonies, opting instead to hold a virtual graduation that will be broadcast on May 16. With the end of spring break, students across the state resume school this week, but from home with distance learning techniques.

Support community journalism during trying times — donate today.

Leave a comment

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for: 

  • Your real name — first and last. 
  • Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
  • The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
  • Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
  • Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
  • No more than three comments per story, including replies. 

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

  • Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
  • Comments that are not directly relevant to the article. 
  • Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
  • Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
  • Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know: 

  • Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement. 
  • We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
  • We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance. 
  • Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
  • We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you. 

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *