A Wyoming health care worker went to 2 house parties while awaiting coronavirus test results. The worker tested positive, and now officials are scrambling to track down all the partygoers.

• A Wyoming health care worker attended two parties while awaiting coronavirus test results, officials said.
• The worker was tested last Friday, then went to a party that night and a second one the next night, then received a positive COVID-19 test result on Monday, Casper Mayor Steve Freel told reporters.
• Now, the partygoers have been told to quarantine, but it's unclear how many people were there or whether any have been tested or shown symptoms.
• Freel said the most disturbing part was a Facebook video from one of the parties, where attendees were "flat-out thumbing their noses" at the coronavirus threat.
• He pleaded with residents to "do the right thing" if they believe they've been exposed to the virus and stay home.
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A Wyoming health care worker exposed to the novel coronavirus and awaiting test results went to two house parties before receiving a positive diagnosis, Casper Mayor Steve Freel announced Wednesday.

The worker, whose identity has not been released, got tested last Friday after being exposed to the coronavirus by a roommate who was also a health care worker at the Wyoming Behavioral Institute, Freel said. The facility has been linked to a cluster of at least 22 COVID-19 cases, according to The Casper Star Tribune.

After the worker's test last Friday, the person then attended a party that same night and a second party the night after. The worker received positive test results on Monday, Freel said.

Now, health officials are scrambling to track down the partygoers and quarantine them. A health department spokeswoman told The Casper Star-Tribune it's unknown how many people were at the party, and officials are still following up to see whether any have been tested or shown symptoms.

Freel said what disturbed him the most about the incident was a video of one of the parties which was uploaded to Facebook.

"The individuals at these parties that we're talking about are flat-out thumbing their noses at the fact that this is not serious to them," Freel said at a press briefing.

"We've been preaching this for the last how many weeks now? That you have got to take this serious," Freel said. "And for people to say it's not a serious thing, I would ask you to ask the people who just attended a party — tell me how serious it is now."

Casper's mayor pleaded with residents to 'do what's right' if they think they've been exposed

Public health experts have urged those awaiting coronavirus test results to self-quarantine in the meantime, so as not to potentially expose others to the virus.

The Wyoming worker is not the first to disobey that warning — a New Hampshire medical worker similarly attended a crowded mixer while he was waiting for coronavirus test results early last month, and a Missouri family attended a school dinner-dance with hundreds of other students and parents while their quarantined daughter awaited test results.

Wyoming, the least populated states in the country, has reported 296 coronavirus cases so far and two deaths, according to a New York Times database. The state's first case was reported March 11.

The state is one that hasn't yet issued a broad stay-at-home order to reduce transmission, though Gov. Mark Gordon ordered schools and non-essential businesses closed and banned gatherings of 10 people or more in a single room.

At the end of his press briefing on Wednesday, Freel acknowledged that he "probably" seemed frustrated.

"All I can do is sit here and plead with you that if you, in fact, think you've been exposed or you find yourself in that situation, do what's right. Quarantine, don't be around others until you know you're safe enough to go out in public," he said. "Follow advice and follow the orders."