Roughly half a dozen restaurant employees in Cheyenne have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week or so, and several others are probable, according to Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department Executive Director Kathy Emmons.

The restaurants impacted include Accomplice Beer Company, Rib and Chop House, Buffalo Wild Wings, the Tortilla Factory on the South Greeley Highway and Red Lobster.

"A couple have shut themselves down," said Emmons. "They said, 'We're going to shut it down for 24 hours and figure out how many people does this involve and make sure we're doing deep cleaning and those kinds of things.' But the other ones, so far, I don't think they have as many close contacts."

Laramie County has seen a spike in COVID-19 cases in the past eight days, and reported five new cases -- three positive and two probable -- late Tuesday afternoon.

"I think it's mainly because people aren't doing what they need to do to prevent it," Emmons said of the spike. "People aren't wearing face masks, they're not social distancing ... and those are the things that will stop it."

Emmons says anyone who visited the identified restaurants in the past week who develops a cough, congestion, loss of sense of smell or taste, headache or fever should contact their healthcare provider immediately.

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