Irma Closes As COVID Surges in Cody

The Irma Hotel confirmed a positive COVID-19 “test situation” last Friday, September 25, prompting the temporary closure of the bar and restaurant until further notice.

In a Facebook post, the hotel stated the situation developed amongst employees. They are working with contract tracers and the Park County Department of Health and “look forward to reopening soon.” They will be posting updates via Facebook as the situation develops.

Park County Public Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin indirectly confirmed this information in one of his regular Facebook updates. His information confirmed that nine employees tested positive after two were displaying symptoms of the virus. He emphasized that this occurred despite the restaurant doing a good job complying with the State Public Health Orders.

This all correlates to an increase of COVID-19 transmission in Park County. a number of statistics confirming the upward trend:

• COVID-19 wastewater testing in Cody shows a 70% increase (up to 2%) in municipal sewer users likely shedding the virus. That’s approximately 500 people that actively have the virus in their systems.
• Park County’s test positivity rate has increased to 1.4%.
• There are currently 4 people hospitalized at Cody Regional Hospital with COVID-19.
• Wyoming’s effective reproduction number is up to 1.27 – that’s the highest in the nation at this point.

Billin suggests all this information is a sign there could be a “significant increase” in active COVID-19 cases this coming week. He even weighed in on the continuing mask controversy enveloping the nation:

“Once you strip away the politics; masks are cheap, easy, effective, safe, and only a minor inconvenience.”

As of this morning, there are 13 active cases in Cody and eight in Powell. There’s a total of 27 active cases in Park County as a whole.