DENVER – Gov. Jared Polis said Thursday that bringing back indoor dining halls prompted his decision to ask state health officials to move Denver and other major Red Level counties to the state’s COVID-19 dial Orange level.
“There are ways to have a reasonably safe dining experience” indoors, Polis told Denver7 in an interview Thursday morning.
Moving counties from the red level to the orange level would allow you to return to covered restaurants, which is prohibited for weeks below the red level. The orange level would still require 25% indoor capacity limits for restaurants.
Polis ’request, which he posted on social media Wednesday night, would lower restrictions in 33 Colorado counties that are currently at Red Level. Polis cited a decrease in COVID-19 cases and an improvement in ICU capacity across the state.
“Throughout this pandemic, we have had to walk a difficult line between the public health crisis and the economic crisis,” Polis said in the post of the night. “By reviewing the data today, Colorado has been in a sustained decline for 13 days and only 73% of ICU beds statewide are in use.”
Two weeks ago, Dr. Jonathan Samet, dean of the Colorado School of Public Health who leads the state’s data modeling team, co-authored a post in The Denver Post with Elizabeth Carlton, associate professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, arguing against the indoor dining room.
“In study after study, restaurants are related to the spread of coronavirus,” Samet and Carlton wrote. “The evidence comes from scientific studies investigating sources of outbreaks, the impact of policies and recent activities of infected people.”
His opinion acknowledged that keeping indoor food closed will be “devastating” for restaurants, but “will help us survive the pandemic.”
“We make sure restaurants also have the support they need to survive,” Samet and Carlton wrote.
However, on Thursday, Dr. Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said, “The 13-day decline in the number of cases is a strong indication that we are moving in the right direction. Coloradans have been successful in slowing the spread, and we need them to continue to follow public health protocols, such as continuing to interact only with those who live, especially during the holidays. “
“In general, countries with a reduced red level have reduced viral transmission to a point where we can provide economic relief and move them to the orange level, recognizing the fact that economic hardship also causes worse health outcomes,” he said. dir Ryan. “We plan to work with local public health agencies in the next steps. Counties can always set more restrictive orders than the state if they so wish.”
When asked Thursday if he was on the same page as the CDPHE, Polis said the decision to move from the red to the orange level would be a “regional call,” that is, if a Denver subway county is move to Orange, others will probably do. the same.
Polis said the move to Level Orange could take place as early as next week.
Denver health officials said Thursday that the move to Level Orange would include Denver County and that it was a sign of a “trend in the right direction.” Denver will move to the orange level on Monday.
Arapahoe County announced Thursday that it would move to the Orange level, given the governor’s request. Adams County later announced it would also move to Level Orange, starting Monday. Broomfield also joined the list of counties that announced it would move to Level Orange on Monday.