JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colorado — Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) has issued a new public health order enacting new guidelines to combat a recent spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
JCPH said it will relinquish the county's variance and implement PHO 20-009 with the following guidelines:
- Outdoor events are limited to no more than 75 people.
- Indoor events are limited to no more than 25 people.
- Events cannot have more than one room, designated activity or area.
- Spectators are prohibited from all high school sporting events.
- Spectators are prohibited from all adult recreational and league sports.
- 10 p.m. last call for alcohol sales for restaurants, bars and breweries that sell food.
The health order will be in effect from 12:01 a.m. on Thursday through midnight on Nov. 29, unless the health order is extended, rescinded, superseded or amended.
JCPH said that there have been 1,815 cases of COVID-19 in the county between Oct. 14 and Oct. 28, which is the equivalent of 311.3 cases per 100,000 residents.
Over the same period, hospitalizations have increased by 80% and Jefferson County's positivity rate is 6.2%.
A positivity rate above 5% indicates that the virus is widespread in the community, and that there are likely more residents who have COVID-19 that have not been tested.
“We have a brief window of opportunity to get our cases under control, or our county will be moved to Level 3 and face even more restrictions," JCPH Community Health Services Director Dr. Margaret Huffman said. "I want to emphasize how critical these next couple of weeks are — we’ve seen other counties be moved on the Dial already, but that doesn’t have to be the path for Jeffco if we can all come together right now.”
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