23 Apr Routt County Joint Information Message

Greetings from the Routt County Joint Information Center! We are always looking for ways to get information to the public and appreciate your help in spreading our messages. Instead of sending numerous emails today, we thought we would try something different. Let us know what you think and if you like the format.

Topline News of the Day – April 22

• Routt County Commissioners decided to extend the Routt County Lodging Restrictions to May 31.

• Routt County Commissioners decided to let the current Public Gatherings limited to five expire on Friday, April 24 and align with the Governor’s “Safer at Home” Order, which limits Public Gatherings to 10 people.

• Routt County’s Public Health Order for Site Mitigation is still in effect until May 10.

• Public Health Orders can be found here: https://www.covid19routtcounty.com/public-health-orders

• Our Public Health Department just released a new Dashboard to show community health, check it out online

• We streamed the Board of County Commissioners and Board of Health meetings live on Facebook and will continue to do so in the future. View our Facebook page

• Press releases on BCC/BOH meetings and other news can be found on our COVID-19 website

Guidelines for Lifting Restrictions

At the Board of Health meeting, the Public Health Department shared how they are gathering metrics for determining the health of Routt County. Some of the questions include:

• Is disease prevalence decreasing?

  • 14 days of decreased disease burden

  • Number of hospitalizations

  • Analysis of COVID-19 deaths

  • Active monitoring of positive cases

• Do we have adequate testing capacity for diagnosis and contact tracing?

• Can the health care system handle a potential surge of COVID-19 cases?

• Do we have adequate Public Health staff?

• Are prevention measures for personal responsibility in place, such as social distancing, facemasks, etc.?

Returning to normal will be sped up if we have evidence-based effective treatment, evidence-based anti-body testing, a vaccine, and herd immunity.

The new “Safer at Home” State Order

On Monday, Governor Polis announced that the “Stay at Home” Order would be changed to a “Safer at Home” Order. Right now, Routt County is still waiting on details about what the Governor’s plan will entail and whether it will require guidelines or specific requirements for businesses to open. Based on what the Governor has released, here is what we know:

• Starts April 27

• Encourages people to stay at home when possible

• Older Coloradans and vulnerable populations still need to stay at home unless absolutely necessary

• Maintain distancing of 6 feet

• Folks are still strongly advised to wear face coverings in public

• Gatherings over 10 people will still be banned

• Sick people should still avoid going to work

• Everyone should still avoid unnecessary travel

• Retail – curbside delivery starting April 27, restricted opening starting May 1

• Restaurants – take out, phased in opening with reduced capacity

• Elective Medical Services/Dental – open with strict precautions to ensure adequate PPE and the ability to meet critical care needs

• Childcare Closed – open with strict precautions

• Personal services (salons, nails, barbers, personal training, etc.) – Open with strict precautions on May 1

• Non-critical offices will be able to re-open at 50% capacity with strict social distancing precautions (more shifts, etc.) starting May 4

• Large workplaces are advised to have symptoms and temperature checks

• Telecommuting should be maximized

• Real estate – House showings can begin in person, but open houses will still be prohibited

• Bars – CLOSED

• Education – CLOSED (K-12 and higher)

• Nightclubs, gyms and spas will remain CLOSED

• The Governor will give more detailed guidance later in the week

The “Safer-at-Home” phase is NOT:

• A free-for-all

• An opportunity to leave the house as much as possible and spread the virus to others

• An excuse to not wear a facial covering or begin giving hugs or handshakes

• Going to the mountains to spend the weekend

• Conducting unnecessary travel

• Having parties or get-togethers

• Playing in pick up sports games

In the coming days, further guidance will be provided to a variety of affected industries including retail, offices, elective medical and dental services, child-care, education, personal services, and real estate.

2020 Census

We continue to ask you to encourage participation in the Census. We are lagging behind the rest of the state; the average response rate in Colorado is 55.2% and Routt County is 23.9%. If we don’t get an accurate count, we won’t get our fair share of federal tax dollars. Go to online to make Routt count!

Thank you for partnering with us to share information about COVID-19 with our community. As always, please feel free to reach out to our call line at 970-871-8444, check out covid19routtcounty.com, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and reach out with comments and concerns.

Respectfully,
The JIC Team
Robin Schepper
Cheryl Dalton
Deanna Sanchez