The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has moved Larimer County from Safer at Home Level 2 (Yellow) to Level 4 (Red) on Colorado’s Dial. The Larimer County Board of Health has voted to support this transition to Level Red. The move is a result of rapidly increasing COVID-19 case counts, positivity rates across all age groups, and significant impacts to hospital utilization within Larimer County over the past several weeks.
These changes will go into effect Tuesday, November 24, 2020 at 5 p.m.
The Larimer County Health Department monitors case counts and positivity rates, along with hospitalization trends, to determine whether the spread of COVID-19 is rising. As of Friday, November 20, Larimer County’s COVID-19 14-day incidence rate is 819/100,000 and the positivity rate is 12.1%; both numbers have increased significantly since early September. Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients, hospitalizations overall, and ICU usage continues to increase here in Larimer County. UCHealth and Banner currently have 94 patients in their Larimer County hospitals with COVID-19 up from 51 patients reported on November 9, 2020.
Although some restrictions may vary depending upon the industry or location, almost every type of business will be impacted by this change. The Larimer County Health Department is committed to working with business owners to answer questions and support the safe operations allowable in Level Red. For more information visit larimer.org/health.
“Larimer County businesses are at the heart of our community, and we encourage Larimer County residents to continue to support them as they innovate and adapt to these difficult changes once again,” said Larimer County Public Health Director Tom Gonzales. “Right now, it is critical that every Larimer County resident take the steps needed to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. Every single positive COVID-19 case in Larimer County is a step backwards for the entire community. We have more testing and knowledge than we did in April but today transmission is greater, cases are higher, and our hospitals are really feeling the impact. Please, we have got to do this together to move forward.”
Information about COVID-19 is constantly changing, and the public health response adjusts as more is learned about this virus. While there is plenty of news and media information available, LCDHE is encouraging Larimer County residents to view the latest credible information on COVID-19 at www.larimer.org/coronavirus or www.CDC.gov/coronavirus. Additionally, residents are encouraged to follow LCDHE’s Facebook and Twitter accounts at @LarimerHealth.
For more information about Level Red, visit Colorado’s Dial Framework.