The Natrona County School District on Friday reported 480 students and 67 staff members had been in quarantine over the previous two weeks — a sharp decline from late November.

More than 900 students and 150 staff members were in quarantine Nov. 20, according to the district.

Casper College, too, has reported declining staff and student cases. The number of active cases on campus has fallen consistently since Nov. 13, when 64 cases were active among students and staff. As of Dec. 4, 12 cases were active.

Both institutions were closed over Thanksgiving, and Casper College transitioned to online classes following the holiday break. But the dips in cases also follow community and statewide COVID-19 trends. Active and new daily cases have fallen significantly since Thanksgiving week, both in Natrona County and across the state.

For the first time since Nov. 1, fewer than 5,000 total COVID-19 infections statewide Tuesday were considered active. The 10-day average for new cases exceeded 825 total cases per day before Thanksgiving but now hovers around 500.

The dip in cases does follow the institution of mask orders in half of Wyoming’s 23 counties in late November, but health officials say it’s too early to attribute the numbers to any cause.

“This is consistent with what we have been seeing in the community,” Hailey Bloom, spokesperson for the Casper-Natrona County Health Department, said about the decline in school cases. “We aren’t sure if this is truly representative of what the virus is doing in the community or if there just haven’t been as many people seeking testing due to the holidays and other things.”

“We certainly hope that it’s an accurate depiction of decline but we definitely don’t want to let our guard down too much at this point,” she added.

Health officials have warned that the holiday season could worsen current trends in the community and push hospitals beyond their capacity.

“We would caution against reading too much into numbers from a few days testing and results. It’s possible that fewer people were tested over the holidays,” Wyoming Department of Health Spokesperson Kim Deti said via email Dec. 2. “We remain very concerned about our overall status currently with COVID-19 and remain concerned that we may see more surges in the coming days and weeks.”

State actions have also made it clear officials think COVID-19 will remain a threat for the coming months. Monday, Gov. Mark Gordon’s office announced a statewide face mask order, additional limits on indoor gatherings, and reduced hours for bars and restaurants.

In a media briefing Monday afternoon following the announcement, State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist said the state was acting now, despite the brief dip, because of the consistently high number of COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state.

More than 200 patients have been in Wyoming hospital beds with the virus every day since Nov. 17. Harrist said ensuring the health care system isn’t overwhelmed has been a primary goal of the health department since the beginning.

“We are at a place right now where we are very concerned about that,” she said.

Health officials have said throughout the fall that COVID-19 cases in schools reflect transmission in communities, rather than spread within the schools themselves.