BRIDGER VALLEY — Although the coronavirus scare has definitely made an impact in the Valley and Uinta County, as of press time, the county still didn’t have any confirmed cases.

The number of cases statewide keeps going up. The latest information received from the state department before press time was there were 53 cases in Wyoming prior to press time, which had jumped from 28 on Monday. The state is doing a lot more testing. One of the most recent cases was confirmed as travel from outside Wyoming. Sweetwater has one case, and it is in Green River, a man in his 40s. He is at home and he and his family are self-quarantined. The release said he was not at work while symptomatic (i.e., fell ill and stayed home from work at least two days before testing).

There are 737 confirmed cases in the United States according to a release by the Sweetwater Sheriff’s Office Wednesday afternoon. There have been no deaths in Wyoming.

Governor Gordon held a press conference Wednesday afternoon, and basically said the state is working to try to avoid a state-wide shelter in place. But he and others encouraged residents to stay home as much as possible and try to keep from coming into contact or spreading the virus.

Gordon, speaking during the news conference, said if residents comply with the restrictions put in place by the state over the last week, there is a better chance that further restrictions can be avoided in the future.

“We are not trying to shut down Wyoming,” he said. “But your voluntary action and discipline will make the difference on whether we can slow the spread of COVID-19. I want to emphasize the orders we put in place are only effective if you take them seriously.”

In addition, according to Gordon, the state was doing it’s best to stay on top of happenings throughout Wyoming. The news conference was held shortly after the case count grew to 44, an increase of seven over the last count Tuesday.

An interesting tidbit from the coronavirus epidemic nationwide was the Lyman High School Lady Eagles hit the pages of the Los Angeles Times in an article by staff writer Maria L. La Ganga on the coronavirus and if people think they are safe in the more isolated parts of the United States.

Back in the Valley, schools will continue to be out according to the directive by Governor Gordon and the State Department of Education until at least April 6. Closer to this date, the state and schools will reevaluate the situation. However, both districts are moving forward with digital learning and providing sack lunches to students in need by letting the lunches be picked up at the doors of cafeterias.

For those students without internet access, Valley Electric and GT Nix Construction are partnering to make High-Speed Internet Service available to families with students. Students can use this service for online learning, research, study assistance, alerts and information from school districts.