It’s another hour until the last call.
Government Jared Polis and the executive director of the Department of Public Health and Human Services in Colorado, Jill Hunsaker Ryan, announced Friday that several provinces across the Centennial State can now “yellow” on the COVID-19 disk to a lesser extent. start working.
This includes Garfield County, and the benchmark “Dial 2.0” officially goes into effect at 9 a.m. Saturday morning – just in time for Super Bowl Sunday.
“We are on the right track, but we are not there yet,” said Garfield County Commissioner John Martin. ‘Let’s keep up the good work and count every week. Maybe in the summer we will be able to have our county meeting and have all kinds of people together, and everyone will be healthy. ”
The news comes with the COVID-19 rate of two weeks in the country At present, it is 445.4 cases per 100,000 people, a test positivity rate of 7% and eight consecutive days with stable or declining hospitalizations, according to figures from Garfield County Public Health.
COVID-19 rates at the state level have also started to decline.
“We’ve had a real sustained decline since November,” Ryan said.
While the state still vaccinates residents 70 years or older, Carrie Godes, a local public health specialist, said – within the country, more than 70% of residents 70 years and older have already been vaccinated.
Gods have given great praise to the hospital systems of the land because they have “vaccinated as many people as they have.”
“We are pleasantly surprised,” Gods said in the cases. ‘Businesses really followed the restrictions that were imposed and people took personal precautions. There seems to be a correlation with the constraints and the decline, and we are now cautiously optimistic with the numbers. ‘
With the decline, restaurants serving alcohol in the province do not have to announce the last call at 11pm. In addition, each business – which also includes places of worship and reprocessing facilities – can have a 50% or 150-person limit.
Ryan said Friday that once the state vaccinates more than 70% of residents 70 years or older, businesses currently participating in the 5-star deviation program, an initiative that allows institutions to operate at less restricted COVID-19 levels work if they strictly follow strict protocols. , will be able to work blue on an even less restrictive level.
Level blue on the COVID-19 dial measurement extends the last call until midnight, while businesses still have to work at 50% but can allow up to 175 people.
With the neighboring provinces of Pitkin, Eagle and Mesa still operating at the orange level, Martin acknowledged that the country still has some economic barriers to overcome. In the past week, however, the Pitkin County Restaurant Association has rejected a lawsuit that challenged the health council after the province dropped its level of red restrictions, which, according to Martin, “will help.”
‘The good thing about this is that the restaurants have dropped their lawsuit, so some of the workers are going to work again. It will be fantastic, ”he said. ‘They do travel from Garfield County – most of them – so it’s going to be fun. But let’s see if we can open places that are closed. We need to stop losing businesses. ”
In Glenwood Springs, Midland Fitness owner Cathy Lee, who has incurred significant expenses since the inception of COVID-19, said the reduction in restrictions ‘is definitely a step in the right direction’.
“I would like to see the state work on consumer confidence and perception of the public because I think it was very difficult for us in this regard, and it has affected my business more than anything,” she said. ‘If we’re going from one color to another – if it’s going to gain consumer confidence? Of course, I support this for my business. ”
But the country is not yet clear. With two confirmed cases of the British COVID-19 variant being confirmed in Garfield County, Gods advises everyone to wear masks, do social distancing and wash their hands where possible.
“The good news is that they expect the vaccine to cover these additional strains,” she said. “It’s just a good reminder to all of us to be constantly vigilant about the precautions we still take – especially if we have instances of variance in our community.”
From Monday, the state and province will begin the next phase of vaccinations, which will include teachers and residents aged 65 or older.
“It works and will work,” Police said Friday. “We just have to keep it going for a few more months.”