Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) announced that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. (Wyoming Office of the Governor/AP)

Earlier this month, with coronavirus cases rising dramatically across Wyoming, a coalition of medical experts and nearly every county health officer in the state wrote to Republican Gov. Mark Gordon with an urgent demand: to issue a statewide mask mandate.

Gordon declined. While he has stressed the importance of wearing masks, he has also argued that it’s an individual choice to do so.