COVID-19 daily briefing: May 15, 2020

As of 9:30 a.m., May 15, 2020 

1. Wyoming: Confirmed cases of COVID-19: 529. Deaths: 7. Recovered: 487. Probable, untested cases: 172. 
2. By county: Fremont County leads the state with 193 confirmed cases, followed by Laramie with 112, Teton with 68, Natrona with 39 and Campbell with 16. Two counties, Platte and Weston, have reported no cases. 
3. Testing: 15,417 tests have been administered and processed, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. 
4. United States: 1,417,889 confirmed cases, according to the Johns Hopkins Institute. Total deaths: 85,906 — Total recoveries: 246,414.
5. The latest: The University of Wyoming is moving toward resuming on-campus education in the fall, with a host of precautionary measures for limiting the spread of COVID-19. UW Acting President Neil Theobald outlined potential plan parameters to the Board of Trustees on Thursday. They include mandatory diagnostic testing for students and employees, converting residence hall units to single rooms, contact tracing, implementing a quarantine plan and increasing cleaning and sanitation. College officials estimate the costs of the transition will be $46 million for the fall semester. Theobald aims to present a final plan to the board by late May or early June. As of Friday, there have been eight confirmed COVID-19 cases in the university’s Albany County, and none have been connected with the school, according to UW.
6. More news: While a majority of Wyoming residents support measures aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19, the level of support continues to decline, according to a new survey by the University of Wyoming’s Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center. Some 70% say they support the closure of K-12 schools, down from 85% at the end of March. Meanwhile, 59% support the closure of bars and restaurants, down from 82% in March. And 39% say they support a “shelter-in-place” order, down from 44% two weeks ago and 54% at the end of March, according to WSAC. Restaurants and bars across Wyoming planned to reopen Friday for indoor service for the first time since mid-March, under new restrictions. In Guernsey, a railroad town on the banks of the North Platte River, coal’s decline — which has been exacerbated by the pandemic — is quieting the rails. 

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