County moves to Level Blue

Phillips County was moved to Level Blue on the state’s reworked COVID-19 dial, which is being called the COVID “Dial 2.0.” The move was effective Saturday, Feb. 6, at 9 a.m., when the Dial 2.0 went into effect.

Additionally, Gov. Jared Polis has again extended Colorado’s mask order another 30 days from Feb. 4.

A Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment press release notes that after meeting with local public health agencies, county commissioners, mayors and city managers, as well as taking feedback via a public web form, the state introduced Dial 2.0.

Chairman of the Board of Phillips County Commissioners Terry Hofmeister said the change is great news but urged people to continue to work to keep the county’s numbers low as they have been doing.

He was also pleased that CDPHE took into consideration what a group of commissioners had been asking for, which was to look at counties with fewer than 20,000 people differently when it comes to the dial, and that numbers are viewed over a seven-day period instead of a 14-day period.

In an FAQ released by the CDPHE, it was noted that a top priority has always been to prevent a breach of the hospital system, which is now under less pressure with the sustained decline in cases and hospitalizations and with vaccine distribution and higher levels of immunity in the population of people age 70 and older.

Holyoke’s home basketball games will allow a total of 125 fans — 75 for Holyoke and 50 for visiting teams. Fans will have to be designated by players as their guests and have their names on the gate list ahead of time to be allowed entry.

Under Level Blue, high-risk populations are eligible for worker benefits and mandatory prioritization for remote work. Level Blue is eligible for both outdoor and indoor site-specific variances if approved by the local public health agency.

Level Blue limits personal gathering size to up to 10 from no more than two households. Child care facilities remain open at all levels. Restaurants can operate at 50% capacity or 175 people indoors, whichever is fewer, and with 6 feet between parties outdoors, per local zoning. P-12 schools and higher education are in-person.

Last call is 12 a.m. (on premises). Non-critical manufacturing can be at 50% capacity or 175 people, whichever is fewer. Offices can have 50% capacity. Gyms and fitness centers can have 50% capacity or 175 people, whichever is fewer. Bars are listed as closed under all levels but Level Green: Protect Our Neighbors. Under Level Blue, group sports and camps have a 50-person capacity per activity, critical and noncritical retail can be at 50% capacity, and personal services and limited health care settings can have 50% capacity or 50 people, whichever is fewer.

Indoor unseated and seated events and entertainment can have 50% capacity or 175 people, whichever is fewer. Outdoor unseated and seated events and entertainment can have 50% capacity or 250 people, whichever is fewer. Outdoor guided services can have 50% capacity or 25 people, whichever is fewer.

CDPHE issues Dial 2.0 press release

CDPHE said in a press release that the dial is a tool that allows Colorado to balance the ongoing need to contain the COVID-19 virus with the need for localized guidance during the pandemic.

“Dial 2.0 is designed so that counties can swiftly move into more restrictive levels when their numbers go up, and more quickly into recovery when their numbers go down,” said CDPHE Executive Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan. “Input from our partners helped us tailor the new dial to best serve the needs of Coloradans at the local level. Since the dial’s last major change in November, Colorado has begun distributing COVID-19 vaccines throughout the state. More people now have immunity to COVID-19, including people over 70 and frontline health care workers. This relieves the strain on our hospital system.”

Given the level of vaccinations occurring and decreasing COVID-19 rates, the range of incidence metrics in Dial 2.0 better reflects a balance between disease suppression and economic activity. Additionally, instead of looking at the numbers over a 14-day period, Dial 2.0 will consider metrics within a seven-day period — making the dial more responsive and flexible.

The new metrics for Dial 2.0 are as follows:

— Counties in Level Green must now have no more than 15 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in one week or a comparable number of cases in counties with under 20,000 people.

— Counties in Level Blue must now have between 15 and 100 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in one week.

— Counties in Level Yellow must now have between 100 and 300 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in one week. The rate of positive tests must be no more than 7.5%.

— Counties in Level Orange must now have between 300 and 500 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in one week. The rate of positive tests must be no more than 10%.

— Counties in Level Red will now have more than 501 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in one week. At this level, hospital system capacity is constrained and state assistance is requested for patient transport or staff augmentation.

— In counties at Level Purple, statewide hospital capacity risks being breached and crisis standards of care are approaching.

School settings do not change in Dial 2.0. Capacity limits remain the same, with the exception of restaurants in Level Yellow, which may now have up to 150 people when using the social distancing calculator — up from 100 people with the calculator.

Five-star businesses are still allowed to operate one level lower on the dial, except they may not operate in Protect Our Neighbors unless the county is formally in Protect Our Neighbors. Because caution is still a priority, counties in Yellow with a 5 Star Business Program may only operate in Blue once 70% of 70-year-olds are vaccinated with at least one dose, expected to happen by the end of the month.

As more and more Coloradans get vaccinated, the state will revisit the dial and expect to have a draft of Dial 3.0 in the spring. CDPHE will seek input for this evolution and again for another update this summer.

A Dial 2.0 FAQ is available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/18dDpH6Yhnb1ic0zxwhVdkElE0HZOEEEA/view. People can continue to stay up to date by visiting covid19.colorado.gov.