ASPEN, Colo. — Summer is nearing its end, and Pitkin County is beginning to cool off, but COVID-19 is starting to heat up in the county.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Pitkin County has a high level of transmission like much of the state.
Once Pitkin entered that level, their public health department conferred with hospitals to determine if they wanted to reinstate a mask mandate. Starting Thursday, masks are required for anyone over the age of 2 while inside public buildings.
"We know that masking is one of the best mitigating strategies that we have. We also know that vaccination is our number one,” said Pitkin County Public Health Director Jordana Sabella.
According to the CDC, nearly 97% of the county is vaccinated, but that hasn't eased the burden on the hospitals in the county.
"We've been monitoring our local hospital capacity all throughout this pandemic. And locally we only have a 25-bed critical access hospital,” Sabella said.
Sabella is talking about Aspen Valley Hospital, which hopes to continue caring for its local patients.
"We've been hearing it's been increasingly difficult to transfer patients. So that has to play into our consideration of what is our local capacity as well,” Sabella said.
Once the county drops to low or moderate transmission for 21 days in a row, masks will be recommended instead of required.
Pitkin County officials say they are following Boulder's lead. Since Boulder County implemented its mask mandate, their seven-day rolling average has decreased, but they remain at a high level of transmission.
"From the beginning of the pandemic, we've been trying to protect our hospital capacity to be able to care for those with COVID as well as care for those with other needs who need to use those medical resources,” Sabella said.
If you plan to hit the slopes, no mask is necessary. But the Aspen Chamber Resort Association reminds visitors to follow the local guidelines so they can enjoy all Aspen has to offer.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: COVID-19 Coronavirus
MORE WAYS TO GET 9NEWS
Subscribe to our daily 9NEWSLETTER for top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP
iTunes: http://on9news.tv/itunes
Google Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n
HOW TO ADD THE 9NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KUSA.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9news" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.