Since last month, Park County public health officials have imposed tougher restrictions on local day cares and gatherings than the state of Wyoming as a whole. But those additional restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the new coronavirus came to an end Friday. The county will now fall under the state’s slightly less stringent rules.

The change will make it possible for more — though not all — local workers to send their children to day cares and allow more exceptions to the general ban on large gatherings.

When the state tightened its public health orders earlier this month, they became “very similar to the Park County health order,” Park County Health Officer Dr. Aaron Billin explained in an email. “Relying only on the state health orders simplifies interpretation and enforcement.”

Public health officials have credited the restrictions and social distancing precautions for helping to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Park County, where only one patient has been confirmed to have the disease. However, Billin and other health officials believe other cases have gone undiagnosed, with the number of confirmed cases understating the scope of the virus’s presence.

“As it appears we have not yet reached the peak in Wyoming, the threat still remains,” Billin added in an email. “Adherence to the state public health orders and social/physical distancing is as important as ever.”

Under the state’s orders, public spaces and personal service businesses like bars, salons, school buildings, college campuses, theaters and gyms must remain closed to the public through at least April 30, with restaurants limited to curbside or drive-thru service. People arriving in Wyoming from out of state for non-work purposes are also being directed to self-quarantine for 14 days or until they leave, which is shorter.

Billin’s Thursday night announcement that he would not be seeking to renew Park County’s most restrictive order was not a surprise, as a public health official had told county commissioners last week that the county would likely choose to fall in-line with the state’s orders going forward.

As of Friday, “the list of essential personnel that can access childcare services is greatly expanded,” Billin said in a Facebook comment.

In Park County, day cares had only been allowed to care for the children of three types of essential workers: first responders, health care workers and Wyoming Department of Family Services employees. Billin’s position was that “even when conducted to the highest standards ... group child care can contribute to the spread of this virus.”

With the county’s restrictions coming to end, local day cares will now be allowed to serve the children of 15 categories of essential workers. They include not only health care providers and first responders, but also educators, criminal justice workers, public health employees, active military members, foster families, electricians, plumbers, telecommunications workers, utility and public works employees, supply chain workers (including truck drivers), certain state employees and grocery store and gas station employees.

Still, child care providers can only serve workers in those specific categories laid out in the state’s public health order and not others. “It has nothing to do with business[es] that are still open,” Billin said.

Restrictions on gatherings will also be relaxed.

Park County had only been allowing more than 10 people to gather if they were at a store selling essential items, a health care facility, pharmacy, government facility or airport.

Now, local residents will fall under the State of Wyoming’s order, in which residential buildings, hotels and motels, livestock auctions, government facilities, food pantries, gas stations, truck stops, treatment centers, health care facilities and stores or businesses where people are generally 6 feet apart are all exempted from the ban on gatherings.

Regardless of what’s technically legal, Gov. Mark Gordon has repeatedly urged Wyomingites to not hold gatherings and to avoid close contact with other people whenever possible, along with practicing extra hygiene and other precautions.

Billin had made a similar plea after issuing Park County’s public health order last month.

“We want people to understand the spirit of what we are trying to do, rather than spend their time looking for loopholes in requirements that have been put in place,” Billin had said.

Park County Public Health Nurse Manager Bill Crampton said Wednesday that local compliance with the restrictions has, for the most part, been good. He and Billin have both said that residents could do a better job of limiting essential shopping to one person per household.

Most of the compliance issues so far have involved looking into complaints, Crampton said. For instance, health officials received a report that a Cody barber shop appeared to be open — violating the state’s closure order for personal services businesses.

“We went down to have a conversation with the guy — and he wouldn’t even open the door for anybody — but he didn’t have anybody in there, you could tell,” Crampton said. “It’s that kind of stuff that we’re dealing with on a routine basis.”

Authorities are prepared for the potential of prosecuting violations of the public health orders if necessary, but everyone wants to avoid that outcome.

“When it comes right down to it, how would you feel if we started sending jack-booted thugs around?” Crampton said. “The last thing I want to see is anything like that.”