Chana Goussetis, Boulder County. Boulder County Public Health was notified today that the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) will move the county to the more restrictive Safer at Home Level Orange: High Risk (previously called Level 3) on the state Dial beginning Friday, November 6. The move is due to the rapid increase in new COVID-19 cases and the percentage of positivity among COVID-19 tests in Boulder County. The county will remain at this level until there is improvement (or worsening) of COVID-19 case activity in the county.

“This is devastating, especially because we know that we can prevent the transmission of this virus and this change will impact our businesses severely, as well as our social and emotional health. This comes down to all of us taking personal responsibility to avoid social gatherings, wear a mask, maintain at least feet of physical distance and to be diligent about washing hands,” said Jeff Zayach, Boulder County Public Health executive director.

According to CDPHE’s dashboard, new cases of COVID-19 among Boulder County residents in the past two weeks is 312.1 per 100,000 - Safer at Home Level Orange begins at 175 cases per 100,000 population; Stay at Home begins at 350 cases per 100,000 population. The five-day rolling average of daily cases among county residents is 98 cases per day, which is higher than any other time except the CU surge since the start of the pandemic.

“This is not the time for social gatherings. We need to be diligent to prevent further restrictions from being applied to Boulder County. Please, take a hiatus from socializing for now, stay home if you’re sick, and strictly follow isolation and quarantine guidance if you test positive or are exposed. If we don’t, our businesses may not be able to stay afloat, said Zayach.” 

The most recent modeling report from the Colorado School of Public Health suggests that communities must act now to reduce transmission in order to avoid levels of infection that could strain the health care workforce and hospitals. The report also suggests that, on the current trajectory, hospitalizations will likely exceed the April peak and if transmission continues over the holidays, ICU capacity could be exceeded by the end of the year.

“It’s so important that we act now. This is about supporting each other and our community by cutting down on any gatherings that aren’t absolutely necessary, even if they’re small. It’s about strictly adhering to quarantine and isolation requirements. It’s about not going out in public when you’re sick,” said Zayach.

While personal gatherings will continue to be limited to 10 people from no more than two households, with face coverings and social distancing required indoors and when within 6 feet of others, public health officials urge residents to avoid all gatherings, for now. 

Safer at Home Level Orange limits business capacity to:

• 25% or 50 people at restaurants, places of worship, and non-critical manufacturing
• 25% at offices and retail
• 25% or 25 people at gyms/fitness centers (groups of up to 10 outdoors), personal services, and limited health care settings
• 25% or 50 people, whichever is fewer, with space calculator at indoor events
• 25% or 75 people, whichever is fewer with space calculator at outdoor events
• 25% or 10 people at outdoor guided services
• Virtual or outdoors in groups of less than 10 at group sports and camps
  

There may be additional guidance for services such as when patrons are seated versus standing, or indoors versus outdoors. Capacity allowances are summarized in the CDPHE dial level chart. Full guidance for each sector is available on the CDPHE Safer at Home website.

At Safer at Home Level Orange, remote, hybrid, or limited in-person learning, as appropriate, is suggested for K-12 and higher education. In-person learning for preschool through grade 12 schools is now defined as “Critical Business” and clarifies that local districts can determine how to structure the format of education based on local factors.

Boulder County Public Health will continue to follow CDPHE guidance and support the models currently in place at Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley school districts in order to support learning, mental health, and employment for local families. Each district and school has layers of protection in place (e.g. staggered drop-offs, masking, cohorting etc.) that make the environment more protective than other public environments.

Boulder County Public Health COVID-19 updates are shared by press release and/or on the Boulder County Public Health Facebook and Twitter social media pages and the COVID-19 website at www.boco.org/covid-19.