The Jackson Town Council will limit gatherings In Jackson. The council met in emergency session this morning to discuss a limit on private gatherings to 100 or, if applicable, 50% of fire capacity with a maximum of 250. Gatherings that fall outside those limits would not be prohibited if mitigation measures are met but the council strongly urges any large gatherings to cancel.
The ordinance,Full text below would last until April 21 at midnight.
The council discussed the issue for over three hours before settling in on a percentage of fire capacity. This came after comment from several restaurant and bar owners.
The council listened to several officials from the the Health Department, Emergency Management and St. John’s Health.
At the meeting, Teton County Director of Health Jodie Pond told the council that Park City, Utah had confirmed community spread when a restaurant worker tested positive after having been ill.
Also noted, was the report that 44% of all of Colorado’s infections were in ski towns.
Local restaurants have been contacted in Teton County and given guidance on staff communication, cleanliness, and hygiene.
Several questions were posed about the potential closing of schools, a decision that is made by the Teton County School District
Teton County Emergency Management’s Rich Ochs said that he thought it was prudent and reasonable for the School District to wait until there was a confirmed case in Teton County to close schools and Dr. Travis Riddell said that the CDC has advised that protocol. Riddell said there is not enough information to know for sure how to proceed but preventative measures have other big impacts.
Riddell said there was no way to avoid the fact that the COVID-19 virus is coming to the valley. He noted that healthcare was very limited in resources with limited numbers of ventilators and that we may have to turn to other communities for help.
Meanwhile, events are canceling, and churches in the community are discontinuing public worship.
For businesses, Rich Ochs said funds could be available for several agencies and that the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce will be the source of information for businesses in the valley.
No cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Teton County as of yet, while two confirmed cases have been reported in Wyoming.
Montana, which had no reported cases until Friday, have now reported four.
Nationwide, over 2100 cases have been reported with nearly 50 fatalities
EMERGENCY ORDINANCE 1247
AN EMERGENCY ORDINANCE TO LIMIT MASS GATHERINGS TO IMMMEDIATELY PRESERVE AND PROTECT THE PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE; DECLARING AN EMERGENCY, PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE AND A TIME FOR TERMINATION.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL OF THE TOWN OF JACKSON, WYOMING, IN REGULAR SESSION DULY ASSEMBLED, THAT:
SECTION I:
WHEREAS, on or about December 31, 2019, a new and significant outbreak of pneumonia with an unknown source was detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province China. The cause associated with these cases was linked to a novel corona virus disease later named COVID-19. Since the initial detection in China, COVID-19 has spread worldwide.
WHEREAS, on January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern; and
WHEREAS, on January 31, 2020, the United States Department of Health and Human Services declared a national public health emergency; and
WHEREAS, COVID-19 has rapidly spread around the globe. As of March 13, 2020 there are 137,445 confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in 117 countries; and
WHEREAS, the United States has similarly experienced an increase in cases of COVID-19 with a total of 1,629 cases identified in at least 46 states; and
WHEREAS, on March 11, 2020 and March 13, 2020, two individuals within the State of Wyoming tested presumptive positive for COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, there is currently no vaccine or drug therapy available for COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, the State of Wyoming is experiencing a public health emergency in response to the evolving outbreak of the novel coronavirus as of March 11, 2020; and
WHEREAS, both travel-related cases and community spread transmission of COVID-19 have been documented in Utah; and
WHEREAS, Executive Order 2020-02 by Governor Mark Gordon proclaimed “this situation may become too large in scope to be handled by the normal county and local government services”; and
WHEREAS, Wyo. Stat. Ann. §15-1-103(a)(xviii) empowers “[t]he governing bodies of all cities and towns [to]: . . . [r]egulate, prevent or suppress riots, disturbances, disorderly assemblies or parades, or any other conduct which disturbs or jeopardizes the public health, safety, peace or morality, in any public or private place”; and Wyo. Stat. Ann. §15-1-103(a)(xli) empowers “[t]he governing bodies of all cities and towns [to]: . . . [a]dopt ordinances, resolutions and regulations, including regulations not in conflict with this act and necessary for the health, safety and welfare of the city or town, necessary to give effect to the powers conferred by this act . . . .”; and Wyo. Stat. Ann. §15-1-103(xix) empowers “[t]he governing bodies of all cities and towns [to]: . . . “declare and abate nuisances and impose fines upon parties who create, continue or permit nuisances to exist.”
- Effective upon proclamation and continuing until 11:59 p.m. on April, 21 2020, public and private gatherings, as defined below, are limited to whichever is greater: a) a maximum of no more than one hundred (100) persons or b) if applicable, fifty percent (50%) of the maximum occupancy capacity allowed by the local fire marshal, up to a maximum of 250 people.
- Gatherings in numbers above those maximums set forth in paragraph 1 are not prohibited if hosts or sponsors implement each of the COVID-19 risk mitigation measures; however, the Town Council strongly urges hosts and sponsors to cancel all such gatherings.
- This Ordinance is enacted on the advice of leading national health authorities that no locality, regardless of whether they have already identified COVID 19 cases, will be immune from the spread of the virus, particularly given the absence of reliable testing protocols in most jurisdictions; scientific evidence regarding the most effective approaches to slow the transmission of communicable diseases generally and COVID-19 specifically; as well as best practices as currently known and available to protect vulnerable members of the public from avoidable risk of serious illness or death resulting from exposure to COVID-19. The age, condition, and health of a portion of the population of the Town places it at risk for serious health complications, including death, from COVID-19. Although most individuals who contract COVID-19 do not become seriously ill, persons with mild symptoms and asymptomatic persons with COVID-19 may place other vulnerable members of the public at significant risk.
- This Ordinance will reduce the likelihood that many individuals will be exposed to COVID- 19, and it will thereby slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. By reducing the spread of COVID-19, this Ordinance will help preserve critical and limited healthcare capacity in the Town.
- This Ordinance will reduce potential for new cases resulting from exposures at gatherings, whose origins and contacts are difficult to trace. Accordingly, the Ordinance will enhance the Town’s ability to identify the source of new cases and contain further spread of COVID-19.
- This Ordinance is issued in accordance with the March 13, 2020 Presidential Proclamation on Declaring a National Emergency Concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak and Executive Order 2020-02 of the State of Wyoming, Declaration of a State of Emergency and a Public Health Emergency.
- This Ordinance is issued in light of the existence of two (2) known cases of COVID-19 in the State of Wyoming, as of the morning of March 14, 2020, including a significant and increasing number of assumed cases of community transmission. As testing capacity increases, the known number of cases of COVID-19 is expected to further increase. This Ordinance is necessary to slow the rate of spread of COVID-19.
- This Ordinance is enacted to prevent circumstances often present in gatherings that may exacerbate the spread of COVID-19, such as: (a) the increased likelihood that gatherings will attract people from a broad geographic area; (b) the prolonged time period in which significant numbers of people are in close proximity; (c) the difficulty in tracing exposure when many people attend a single event; and (d) the inability to ensure that attendees follow adequate hygienic practices for many gatherings.
- This Ordinance comes after the release of substantial guidance and orders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State of Wyoming Department of Health, and other public health officials throughout the United States and around the world, including our neighbor state of Utah prohibiting gatherings of more than 100 people. The Town Council of the Town of Jackson, relying on local, national and global health and emergency operations experts, has determined that additional, stricter measures are necessary given the increasing scope and severity of the threat that COVID-19 poses.
- Definitions
-
- For the purposes of this Ordinance, a “gathering” is any event or convening that brings together one hundred (100) or more persons in a single room at the same time, such as an auditorium, stadium, arena, conference room, meeting hall, cafeteria, theater, restaurant, bar, or any other confined indoor or confined outdoor space.
- A “gathering” does not include normal operations at airports or spaces where persons may be in transit. It also does not include office environments; classrooms; medical offices, hospitals, or clinics; or retail, pharmacy, or grocery stores where large numbers of people may be present, but it is unusual for them to be within six (6) feet of one another.
- For the purposes of this Ordinance, “COVID-19 risk mitigation measures” include all of the following:
- The space in which the gathering is held must accommodate social distancing by allowing all attendees to stand or sit at least six (6) feet from any other attendee and;
- Proper hand hygiene and sanitation material must be readily available to all persons at all times, including soap and waste receptacles. If soap and water are not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be used; and
- Persons hosting gatherings must clean surfaces with disinfecting wipes or other standard cleaners before, during, and after the event.
SECTION II.
The provisions of this Ordinance are effective through XXXXXX, 2020 unless sooner repealed, after which time they shall become null and void.
SECTION III.
If any section, sentence, clause, phrase or portion of this Ordinance is for any reason held invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, such portion shall be deemed a separate distinct and independent provision and such holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of the ordinance.
SECTION IV.
Adoption of this Ordinance shall be by emergency ordinance provisions under suspension of rules and approved by not less than three quarters (3/4) of the qualified members of the governing body as required and set forth in Section § 15-1-115 of the Wyoming Statutes. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon proclamation by the Mayor.
PASSED the XXXX day of March 2020.
TOWN OF JACKSON
BY:
ATTEST: Pete Muldoon, Mayor
Sandra P. Birdyshaw, Town Clerk
ATTESTATION OF TOWN CLERK
STATE OF WYOMING )
) ss.
COUNTY OF TETON )
I hereby certify that the foregoing emergency Ordinance No. XXXXXX was duly published in the Jackson Hole News and Guide, a newspaper of general circulation published in the Town of Jackson, Wyoming on the XXXXX day of March 2020. I further certify that the foregoing ordinance was duly recorded on Page 49 of Book 8 of the Ordinances of the Town of Jackson, Wyoming.
__________________________________
Sandra P. Birdyshaw, Town Clerk
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