Boulder County Public Health on Monday announced that an increase in COVID-19 cases could mean the county will have to move to Safer at Home Level 3 on the state dial which restricts the number of people who can be at a business, restaurant or workplace, as well as decreases gathering sizes for events and fitness activities.
New cases of COVID-19 among Boulder County residents in the past two weeks is 174.5 per 100,000, up from 135.7 on Thursday, according to a news release. Safer at Home Level 3 begins at 175 per 100,000 population, according to the release. “The five-day rolling average of daily cases among county residents is 52.6 cases per day, which is higher than any other time except during the height of the surge of new cases among young adults,” Boulder County Public Health stated in the release.
Jeff Zayach, Boulder County Public Health executive director, in the release stated, “It’s no surprise that more Boulder County residents are testing positive for COVID-19 since we’re seeing statewide and national surges. Unfortunately, this is pushing us toward the possibility of needing to restrict how many people can be in shared areas.”
Chris Campbell, Boulder County Public Health emergency manager, in the release stated, “We are hearing that local health care workers are exhausted. If more people require hospital care, our medical system may not have the staffing to adequately care for them.”
Safer at Home Level 3 guidelines include capacity reductions to 25% or 50 people for restaurants, offices, retail and personal services; 25 people for indoor events (with space calculator); 75 people for outdoor events; remote or hybrid recommended for K-12 and higher education; no group sports, gym or fitness indoors and limited to 10 people outdoors; and closure of senior facilities except for compassion visits, according to the release.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will decide if Boulder County will move to a different level after discussion with Boulder County Public Health leadership, according to the release. No change would be implemented for at least 14 days after the decision is made.
Zayach in the release stated, “To be blunt, stay home as much as possible. Limit your Halloween activities to just your household. Do not go to any gatherings. We’re seeing transmission from multiple age groups and from people with and without symptoms. Staying home is the best thing we can do. If you have to go out, please social distance and wear a mask.”
For Boulder County Public Health COVID-19 updates follow the department on Facebook and Twitter or visit the COVID-19 website at www.boco.org/covid-19.
