State notifies Eagle County that disease trends could mean increased restrictions

Eagle County on Tuesday put out the following press release on a state notification Monday that COVID-19 spread locally could soon result in High Risk: Safer At Home, or Orange, status:

On Monday night, Eagle County received official notification from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) that recent trends in the local spread of COVID-19 could result in the community being moved to the High Risk: Safer At Home, or “Orange” category of the state’s COVID Dial Dashboard. The county has two weeks to bring the community’s metrics back down.

The COVID case incidence rate continues to climb in the county. As expected, Eagle County has been notified to consider “mitigation and containment measures immediately.” This represents the first notification from state partners that Eagle County is no longer in compliance with the Yellow level of the state’s dial and therefore has limited time to level off and decrease case rates before the state will take action.

According to information gathered during case investigations by Public Health, the area of biggest concern continues to be disease transmission occurring during private gatherings, as well as close and prolonged contact with friends, family members and coworkers where masks are not being worn and social distancing is not being practiced. “We are losing ground on private gatherings, not in businesses, churches and schools. Our community needs to focus on private gatherings where disease spread is the highest,” said Eagle County Manager Jeff Shroll.

Similar to the last disease spike in July, the county will now need to implement mitigation measures to avoid being moved to Orange. The incidence rate for Eagle County has risen to 284 cases per 100,000 population, an increase from the 222 reported on Thursday, Oct 29. Six Eagle County residents have also been hospitalized in the last 2 weeks, and hospitals on the front range are near peak capacity. A move to Orange would mean additional capacity limits on restaurants, retail establishments, places of worship, gyms, group sports, and events. Officials say this move is likely to have a significant impact on the local economy and social and emotional wellbeing. Leaders are stressing that if the community can work together to reduce new cases back below 175 per 100,000, additional restrictions can still be avoided. “It is important that our workforce, our colleagues, and all community members follow the five commitments of containment in their personal lives. It’s not too late to turn things around, we have done this before, and we need to do it again.” said Eagle County Director of Public Health & Environment Heath Harmon.

Residents with questions or feedback may email CovidQuestions@eaglecounty.us or call 970-328-9750.