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Eagle County extends public health order through Jan. 17
Eagle County on Friday issued the following public health order extension notice:
| The public health order requiring face coverings in schools and childcare settings will be extended until January 17. This recommendation was supported by the Eagle County Board of Health (BOH) on Dec. 14 and the public health order was signed by the BOH on Dec. 17. The order only pertains to face coverings for staff, students and visitors while indoors at childcare centers or schools where children in grades Pre K-8 are present. It will be available online. Any developments and the updated case incidence rates are available on eaglecountycovid.org. The Board of Health will discuss expiring the order on January 17, fourteen days after most youth return to school from winter break. “We have been contemplating the best time to move beyond the current public health order since October,” said Heath Harmon, Director of Eagle County Public Health. While the Board expressed interest to transition to a public health environment where no public health orders are in effect, the Board also had many questions about the omicron variant that is spreading globally at a quick pace. “The emergence of omicron raises questions, but the tools to prevent infection and severe disease are more widely available, too,” said Harmon. “We have strong demand for booster doses, which provide substantial protection from infection with this variant. Vaccinations for youth 5-11 years of age were initiated more than five weeks ago. New treatments are also on the horizon. While there are still many unknowns about omicron, these tools will help combat this and future versions of this virus.” Unlike the short turnaround for when the face covering order was put in place prior to the school year, public health officials want to provide more time for schools and families to take in this information and be prepared for upcoming changes in the event the order does expire in the near future. ECPHE will continue to provide robust availability of the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters for all eligible individuals. Public Health officials note the importance of testing when individuals have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or after being exposed to someone with the disease. Anyone testing positive should remain at home and isolate for 10 days from when the symptoms began. Testing centers are set up throughout Eagle County and as winter approaches; hours and locations are subject to change. Up-to-date information about testing locations, days, and times can be found at eaglecountycovid.org. |
