NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF LONGMONT
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Boulder County is experiencing a surge in cases of both the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19 and of influenza, and current modeling from the Colorado School of Public Health predicts cases will continue to grow, particularly as people come together for the holidays and gather indoors.
For many county residents, celebrating the holidays includes taking part in higher-risk activities like traveling, congregating in larger groups, and staying indoors more often and for extended periods of time.
“When celebrating and spending time with our friends, families, and communities over the holidays, it is important to keep each other safe and healthy. Fortunately, we have lifesaving vaccines available that provide a high level of protection against COVID-19,” said Camille Rodriguez, Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) Executive Director. “Getting vaccinated, including a booster and a flu shot, is the best way to keep others safe, limit the spread of COVID-19 and influenza, reduce serious illnesses and hospitalization and ease the burden on our already stressed hospitals.”
Anyone over the age of 18 who is at least six months out from receiving their second dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or at least two months since receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, should get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now allows eligible recipients to receive a different vaccine than their original series.
If you are going to host an event, there are some simple strategies you can put in place to keep your guests safe. BCPH encourages you to have a conversation with all your guests about their vaccination status and how to best protect high-risk individuals, including older adults, immunocompromised individuals and those who are unvaccinated.
“When planning your celebrations with high-risk individuals, consider a smaller, shorter event and make sure everyone is symptom-free. Also, talk to your guests about getting tested before they attend and agreeing to wear a mask while they are inside your home. You can also reduce risk by increasing ventilation (such as opening windows) and running a HEPA air filter,” said Chris Campbell, BCPH Emergency Management Coordinator. “If you are sick or have COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms, like fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, body aches, headache, loss of taste or smell or sore throat, you should stay home, get tested as soon as possible and isolate or quarantine if necessary.”
Guidance on how to properly isolate or quarantine is available at boco.org/quarantine-isolation.
“An effective and easy way to keep everyone safe is diligently wearing a well-fitting mask over your nose and mouth — wearing a mask while indoors is required under our current Public Health Order in public indoor spaces. We also encourage practicing physical distancing while shopping and celebrating and wearing a mask outdoors when you cannot maintain distance, as described in our Public Health Advisory,” said Campbell.
“Whenever you can, make safer arrangements like planning shopping so everything gets done in one trip, or, better yet, use delivery or curbside pickup.”
If your holiday plans include traveling, follow the guidance from the CDC for traveling safely.
There are many convenient testing providers throughout Boulder County, including a number of locations that offer free tests. A complete list of testing locations in Boulder County is available at boco.org/covid19testing.
COVID-19 vaccines, booster and flu shots are available at providers across the county. Some providers offer vaccination for free, and you do not need an ID or insurance. An up-to-date list of providers and clinics in Boulder County is available at boco.org/CovidVaccine.
Quick tips for staying safe over the holidays:
- Get vaccinated against COVID-19, the flu and get your booster.
- Move gatherings outdoors whenever possible and continue to mask when you are in a crowd, even outdoors.
- Make sure everyone, including children, is wearing a mask while indoors (masks are required for 2 years and older in all indoor public spaces, including schools).
- Improve ventilation in your home and increase air filtration.
- Reduce gathering size and, if possible, split a large gathering into smaller gatherings.
- Keep track of the individuals with whom you gather, which can assist in quicker contact tracing in the event of an exposure and can drastically help reduce spread of COVID-19.
- If you are traveling, wear a mask and follow CDC guidance for safe travel.
- Get tested both before and after any indoor gatherings and after travel — you can order free BINAX tests from the state or use a local free testing site.
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