County stays at Level Orange
Phillips County will remain at Safer at Home Level Orange: High Risk with a local public health order in effect beginning Monday, Nov. 23, at 5 p.m. The local PHO issued by Northeast Colorado Health Department will be in effect until 11:59 p.m. Dec. 23, unless extended, rescinded, superseded or amended in writing.
It allows more time to try to turn around the increasing spread of COVID-19 in Phillips County to prevent it from going to Level Red: Stay at Home.
The local PHO implements most of the capacity restrictions for Level Red, but restaurants are able to continue to have indoor dining at 25% capacity and must close for on-site consumption and occupancy by 8 p.m daily.
Public and private gatherings, as defined by CDPHE Third Amended Public Health Order 20-35 Safer at Home Dial, are limited to no indoor gatherings with individuals of different households and no more than 10 individuals outdoors from no more than two households. Outdoor events and entertainment are limited to 25% capacity or 75 people, whichever is fewer, attended only with members of a person’s own household and with 6-foot spacing between groups.
Phillips County will remain in Level Orange if the parameters are met at the end of 30 days. If the county is outside of those parameters at that time, then it will be moved to Level Red.
A new purple level has recently been added to the state’s COVID dial. Level Purple: Extreme Risk means hospital capacity risks being breached and there could be a need for hospital crisis standards of care, utilizing alternative care sites, critical shortages of staff or personal protective equipment and hospitals approaching 90% of their surge capacity.
Chairman of the Board of Phillips County Commissioners Terry Hofmeister said the community’s help is needed over the next 30 days to reduce the COVID numbers. “We don’t need any more community deaths or hospitalizations,” he said, adding that NCHD has been very helpful in getting the local PHO in place. “We worked hard on this and got the best results for Phillips County by keeping the restaurants open,” he added.
Phillips County Emergency Manager Bob Heldenbrand said he appreciates the community engaging and asking questions on the Phillips County Emergency Management Facebook page. He said the purpose of the page is to keep the community informed.
The PHO urges people to stay home when they can, avoid public gatherings, wear masks and maintain social distance in public and wash their hands frequently to slow the spread. It goes on to say these actions will help hospitals, first responders and other health care services continue to provide services for those who need them and that collective action can save lives.