Town Council Approves Emergency Stay-At-Home Ordinance 1249

March 28, 2020, Jackson, WY - Following the continued spread of the COVID-19 virus through confirmed community transmission, and thirteen positive cases in Teton County, Jackson’s Town Council passed a Stay-At-Home Ordinance for the Town of Jackson. This ordinance is intended to “Preserve the peace, health, safety, and welfare of our community” by slowing the spread of COVID-19 in our community, preventing our healthcare system from being overwhelmed, and, ideally, lessening the pandemic’s long- term effects on our valley.
 
This ordinance was enacted with advice from the Teton County Health Officer, Dr. Travis Riddell, who shared his perspective at Saturday’s meeting. “[W]e have seen mounting evidence that community-wide stay-at-home orders can have significant impacts on slowing the virus’ spread, particularly when implemented in the early phase of viral community spread. We are in that phase now. I am absolutely in favor of a community-wide stay-at-home order.”
 
What Town Residents Can and Cannot Do: Emergency Ordinance 1249 requires that all individuals currently within the Town of Jackson stay at home and leave their homes or residences only for Essential Activities, including:

• Health & Safety: To engage in activities or perform tasks essential to health and safety, or to the health and safety of one’s family or household members, including pets.
• Supplies and Services: To obtain necessary services or supplies for oneself and one’s family or household members, or to deliver those services or supplies to others.
• Outdoor Activity: To engage in outdoor activities including walking, hiking, running, skiing, or horseback riding (and others) if and only if Physical Distancing Requirements, (defined below) are maintained at all times.
• Certain Types of Work: To perform work at an Essential Business (defined below) or to perform Minimum Basic Operations at a business not defined as an Essential Business.
• To Care for Others: To care for a family member or pet in another household.

Business Closures: The ordinance calls for the closure of various businesses, recognizing that many person-to-person interactions at the workplace are inconsistent with Physical Distancing Requirements. However, the ordinance also recognizes that various businesses are essential for responding to COVID- 19, for our community’s and the state’s infrastructure, and for the day-to-day life of residents. These businesses, referred to as Essential Businesses, are listed below and are strongly encouraged to remain open. Businesses and organizations that are not defined as ‘essential’ by this ordinance can continue to operate remotely and/or to maintain Minimum Basic Operations (defined below). Businesses excluded from the list of Essential Businesses that believe they may be essential can direct requests to Jackson’s Town Manager. For consideration of a possible individual business exemption please email: [email protected]. Requests may be granted if it is determined it is in the best interest of the community to have the business continue operations to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 
Discussing the Ordinance, Councilor Arne Jorgensen highlighted that, “We are not closing our borders. We are limiting activities. We are not turning our backs on anybody. People who work at Essential Businesses are the emergency room nurses at St. John’s, they are the clerks at the grocery stores. We are one community and we are doing this to keep it that way.”
 
Required Self-Quarantine after Travel: Town residents who travel outside of Wyoming’s state borders or beyond Bonneville or Teton County, Idaho, and any visitors (not including workers), that visit Jackson from outside that same geographic area shall limit movement and gathering with other individuals who are not their immediate family upon their return to the Town for 14 days. These persons may leave their residences only to perform Essential Activities (defined above), for a period of self-quarantine lasting at least 14 days or until any fever or respiratory illness has resolved and they have returned to normal health for at least three days, whichever is longer.
 
Finalizing Council’s vote on Ordinance 1249, Mayor Pete Muldoon shared that, “How we respond to this challenge will determine how quickly we get through it. I would be happy if it turns out this ordinance
was not necessary.”
 
Below, find details about how this ordinance defines Physical Distancing Requirements, Minimum Basic Operations, and Essential Business. For more information regarding Ordinance 1249, please first visit the Town of Jackson website at www.jacksonwy.gov and click on the emergency alert at the top of the main page, if you have further questions please email them to [email protected] or call 307-733-3932. Please do not call Teton County Dispatch

DEFINITIONS

PHYSICAL DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS: To maintain physical distance, individuals must keep at least 6 feet of distance between themselves and anyone else who is not an immediate family members. They must wash hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds as frequently as possible and/or use hand sanitizer. They must cover coughs and sneezes (into the sleeve or elbow, not hands). And they must regularly clean high-touch surfaces and not shake hands.
 
MINIMUM BASIC OPERATIONS: If all employees comply with the above Physical Distancing Requirements, businesses and organizations can engage in the minimum necessary activities to maintain the value of the business’s inventory, ensure security, process payroll and employee benefits, or for related functions and the minimum necessary activities to facilitate employees of the business being able to continue to work remotely from their residences.
 
ESSENTIAL BUSINESS: All essential businesses must comply with Physical Distancing Requirements.

• Healthcare Operations: Including hospitals, clinics, dentists (for emergency care only), pharmacies, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, other healthcare facilities, health- related laboratory services, healthcare suppliers, home healthcare service providers, physical therapy, mental health providers, or any related and/or ancillary healthcare services. This also includes veterinary care and healthcare services provided to animals.
• Essential Governmental Functions: All services needed to ensure the continued operation of government agencies.
• Essential Infrastructure: Includes, but is not limited to, public works, construction, construction of housing or buildings, airport operations, water, sewer, gas, electrical, roads/highways, path- ways, public transportation, solid waste collection and removal, internet, and telecommuni- cations systems (including the provision of essential global, national and local infrastructure for computing services, business infrastructure, communications, and web-based services).
• Stores That Sell Groceries & Medicine: Grocery stores, farmer’s markets, food banks, convenience stores, and other establishments engaged in the retail sale of canned food, dry goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, pet supplies, fresh meats, fish, poultry, and any other household consumer products (such as cleaning and personal care products) and specifically includes their supply chain and administrative support operations. This includes stores that sell groceries, medicine, including medication not requiring a medical prescription, and also sell other non-grocery products, wholesale items and products necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences.
• Food Cultivation: Food cultivation, including greenhouses, farming and livestock operations, and fishing.
• Charitable, Religious & Social Services: Businesses and organizations that provide food, shelter, social services, religious and pastoral services, and other necessities of life for spirituality, economically disadvantaged or otherwise needy individuals, and individuals who need assistance as a result of this emergency, and people with disabilities.
• Media: Newspapers, television, radio, and other media services.
• Transportation-related business: Gas stations and auto-supply/repair related facilities.
• Financial & Insurance Institutions: Banks, credit unions, appraisers, title companies, insurance companies, and related financial and insurance institutions.
• Hardware stores:
• Sport Stores: Sporting goods stores
• Critical Trades: Plumbers, electricians, exterminators, internet or broadband providers, cleaning and janitorial staff for commercial and governmental properties, security staff, operating engineers, HV/AC, painting, cleaning services and others who provide services that are necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences, Essential Activities, and Essential Businesses.
• Mail, Post, Shipping, Logistics, Delivery, & Pick-Up Services: Post offices and other businesses that provide shipping and delivery services, and businesses that ship or deliver groceries, food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and goods through commercial or government channels.
• Educational Institutions: Public and private K-12 schools, colleges, and universities for purposes of facilitating distance learning or performing essential functions.
• Laundry Services: Laundromats, dry cleaners, and laundry service providers.

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