Whereas COVID-19 remains a pandemic, and

Whereas COVID-19 cases have increased exponentially in recent weeks due to community events and lack of masks and social distancing, and

Whereas mask use clearly mitigates the risk of COVID-19 transmission, and

Whereas Wyoming hospitals and those of surrounding states are filling up quickly and we do not have the resources to build up our medical facilities, and

Whereas COVID-19 has numerous long lasting effects for many patients including the possibility of death, and

Whereas evidence of mask efficacy can be seen by looking at COVID-19 cases in Arizona (rose by 150% when mask mandate expired and dropped by 75% when municipalities enforced their own mandates), and

Whereas we want to maintain the integrity of our economy and jobs as well as keeping schools safe,

We hereby request that the state of Wyoming enact and enforce a mask mandate for Wyoming citizens in all public places. We also ask that county attorneys be prevented from circumventing the mandate by refusing to prosecute health order violations.

We ask this to protect the health and safety of Wyoming citizens and to ensure the economy is less disrupted by forced closures due to COVID-19 exposures and quarantine.