JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colorado – Some bars will have to close and restaurants and gyms will have to operate at 50% capacity again on Friday, due to increased COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Jefferson County.
“Unfortunately we are slipping in the wrong direction,” Dr. Dawn Comstock, executive director of Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH), said in a press release sent to Denver on Wednesday7.
The county reported 142.7 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents during the period from March 31 to April 6, exceeding Blue level metrics (115 cases per 100,000 residents for five days). consecutive) on the state COVID-19 dial.
Comstock said most new cases occur among adults between the ages of 20 and 39, adding that most outbreaks in the county were reported in schools and unregulated businesses, such as offices and retail.
“Other factors contributing to the increase in community outreach include a significant decrease in social distancing and the circulation of virus variants,” Comstock said in a press release.
The announcement of the county’s move to a more restrictive level on the color-coded dial comes a day after Jefferson County changed the public health order of the masks, as it did not require them in outdoor spaces, but still it forced them into indoor public establishments.
Below the yellow level, the following restrictions will take effect from Friday, April 9 at 6 p.m.:
- Restaurants are limited to 50% of the published occupancy limit, not exceeding 150 people per room. The last call is at 1 in the morning
- Bars must be closed unless food is served.
- Covered events are limited to 50% of the published occupancy limit, not exceeding 150 people per room within the usable space. Useful space for seated events and non-seated events with less than 50 people is calculated by a 6-foot spacing between non-home contacts. For non-seated events with more than 50 people, the usable space must be calculated using the spaced space calculator.
- Outdoor events are limited to 50% of the published occupancy limit, not to exceed 175 people within the usable space per designated area calculated using the distance space calculator. If the event is seated, usable space should be calculated using a 6-foot spacing between non-household members.
- Recreation, including gyms, recreation centers and swimming pools, is limited to 50% of capacity, with no more than 50 people per room indoors or outdoors. Establishments over 7,200 square feet can use the spaced space calculator to expand to 100 users per room within their usable space.
- Organized sports are limited to 25 players, except coaches, referees and referees.
- Guided outdoor activities are limited to 50% of capacity, not exceeding 10 people.
- Youth camps are limited to 10 participants indoors and 25 outdoors.
- Companies certified in the five-star certification program in Jefferson County can operate under the limits of Leve Blue.
“None of us want to go back to the Dial after all the work we’ve done and the sacrifices we’ve made,” Comstock said. “It is important that we take the necessary steps now to reverse this trend, so that we have the opportunity to celebrate the things and people we love and enjoy. Last year we missed many of these special occasions, but if we work hard now it should not be the case for 2021 ”.
Comstock continued to urge residents to wear masks, maintain a good social distance of six feet from each other, and avoid meetings.
This week, at least two other Colorado counties moved to more restrictive levels: Summit County moved to orange level on Wednesday and Pueblo County moved to yellow level on Tuesday due to further increases in COVID cases -19.