Wyoming Sheriff: Face Mask Mandate ‘Unenforceable’

The sheriff along with the county prosecutor of a southern Wyoming county say a statewide mask mandate is unenforceable.

Not 24 hours after Wyoming State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist issued a statewide mask mandate, Sweetwater County Sheriff John Grossnickle and Sweetwater County Attorney Dan Erramouspe announced that they "remain firm in their assessment that the mask mandate as written is unenforceable under the law."

Both Grossnickle and Erramouspe clarified that their position is simply a legal standpoint and does not reflect their thoughts on face covering's efficacy in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

In a statement Tuesday, the county attorney and sheriff said the current order does not allow deputies a means to separate those who are exempt from the mask requirement and those who are willfully violating it.

Erramouspe said in order to successfully prosecute a mask mandate case, prosecutors would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person not wearing a face-covering does not suffer from a mental or physical condition preventing them from doing so.

The mask mandate will remain in effect through at least January 8.