Hanna Town Hall closes due to COVID

When the third Hanna resident was taken away by ambulance for COVID complications on Thursday, Mayor Lois Buchanan, came to the conclusion action was warranted.

Buchanan, herself in quarantine after testing positive, was concerned COVID was starting to spread in her town. The town clerk had tested positive after being exposed to someone who came in the office.

Thursday's ambulance call was the third in the week with patients being taken to the hospital with COVID problems.

"On the better side of caution, I decided it would be best to close down the Town Hall, Recreation Center and Marshal's Office," Buchanan said on Friday. "The Marshal's office had an exposure come in last week and our personnel have been in quarantine anyway."

Buchanan said she knew there was a few residents that have been hospitalized recently for COVID. She said the ambulances were having to go through serious cleaning protocols when a COVID patient was taken aboard.

"I went to the SCWEMS (South Central Wyoming Emergency Medical Services) meeting before I tested positive," Buchanan said. "They were talking about going on a COVID call. They said when they get back from this type of call, it takes them four hours to sanitize the rig down each instance. So they have been extremely busy because they are serving both us and the Valley."

Buchanan said last week the Town Hall placed a mask mandate for people visiting the facility.

"Then yesterday (August 26), when I received news that there had been another transport to the hospital, I realized that it would be smart to be a little more cautious and closed it until September 1," Buchanan said. "Then we will see what the numbers look like."

The Hanna Recreation center would close for the weekend and possibly Monday. Again, Buchanan said she was watching the numbers before she put the public at risk.

"If the numbers go down, then we will just go back to the town hall and the recreation center will have their protocols in place too," Buchanan said. "But with three people in the town office testing positive and a law enforcement person testing positive, we really can't afford to take any chances."

Buchanan said the actions she has taken is not to scare her residents.

"We are just trying to protect ourselves at the office and others who visit," Buchanan said. "I know people will make it a fight over taking the vaccine or wearing a mask, but I look at it as, if I can protect somebody from this virus I am going to do it."

Buchanan wishes everyone would side on being cautious.

"Obviously I let my guard down while I was in the office, or I would not be in the situation I am in," Buchanan said. "I am lucky my symptoms have not been so severe as others, but it doesn't mean I take testing positive lightly."

The RNB State Bank Hanna branch has closed its lobby to the public on the side of caution. Drive-in is available as are in-house appointments.

The mayor hopes this is just a little spike of COVID cases in her town and Carbon County, but she said being careful is just smart at this point in time.