Wyomingites can gather in groups of up to 25 people starting on Friday, while again being able to attend church services and funerals, dine in restaurants, visit movie theaters and take fitness classes. However, they must follow precautions that include generally keeping 6 feet of distance from others.

Gov. Mark Gordon said at a Wednesday news conference that the state is trying to allow businesses to operate as normally as possible amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is important to remember that even as we ease restrictions, the virus is not gone. It is still here, it is still invisible and it is still capable of wreaking havoc,” Gordon said. “And it’s going to be with us for some time here in Wyoming, just like the rest of the country.”

“This isn’t to be taken lightly,” he added, “but we are trying to work our way safely back to as normal a condition as we can get.”

Gordon and State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist had indicated last week that they would relax the public health orders starting on Friday and they unveiled the details of those changes on Wednesday.

Harrist said she was pleased the state has been able to take “some big steps forward,” but said time and a cautious approach is needed to see how the relaxed restrictions will affect Wyoming’s situation with COVID-19.

As of Wednesday, the state had 523 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 165 probable cases, with seven deaths and 480 recoveries, according to Wyoming Department of Health statistics. That means 201 people in Wyoming either had a confirmed or suspected active case of the respiratory disease on Wednesday; Gordon said 10 of those patients were hospitalized.

Harrist believes the restrictions have helped keep COVID-19 from overwhelming the state.

State officials have prohibited gatherings of 10 or more people since March 20, but are raising that cap to 25 on Friday. Meanwhile, churches and funeral homes will be added to the list of facilities that are exempt from the 25-person limit. However, those institutions must take steps to maintain 6 feet of space between households, prohibit close contact between members of different households, screen leaders and staff for illnesses and undergo thorough cleaning, among other conditions.

Bars, restaurants, coffee shops and other similar businesses can again offer indoor and outdoor service, though under restrictions.

All patrons must be seated at tables spaced at least 6 feet apart and limited to no more than six people per table if the people are from different households. Meanwhile, staffers must wear face coverings and gloves when serving customers, wash their hands between interactions with each table, sanitize customer areas after each party departs and clean and disinfect the premises in the morning, afternoon and evening, among other precautions.

No self-serve or buffet options are allowed, unless the food is prepackaged, and drink refills are not allowed in the same container. Dart and pool leagues, dances, events and karaoke are specifically prohibited.

“I want to thank restaurants and bars for their patience as we’ve worked through this,” Gordon said. “With the benefit of hindsight, it’s easy to say we might have done too much. I will say that we’ve done what we should do and we will be very careful as we go forward.”

Movie theaters and concert halls can also reopen Friday, but are similarly prohibited from allowing groups of more than six people (unless they’re from the same household), with a requirement to maintain 6 feet of space between groups at all times.

Day cares will also be allowed to have up to 25 children and providers in each room, though they’re still required to follow extra precautions.

Gyms — which were cleared to open earlier this month — can reopen locker rooms on Friday and again offer both personal training and group classes for up to 20 people. Swimming pools remain limited to one swimmer per lane.

“I know that this has been difficult and I hear from people every day about their frustrations,” Harrist said at Wednesday’s news conference, but “because this disease is unfortunately still part of our new reality, the way we do things can’t yet be the same as they were before this pandemic began.”

Social distancing, she said, will remain critical for some time to come to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep businesses open.

Gordon also announced Wednesday that he’s allocated $17 million in federal funding to expand COVID-19 testing, improve contact tracing and add to the state’s supply of personal protective equipment.