Citing a dip in COVID-19 cases, Larimer County health officials will let local public health orders related to the disease expire next week, essentially lifting capacity and social distancing requirements for businesses and switching to Colorado’s statewide mask mandate rules.
Starting 12 a.m. Monday, Larimer County residents will no longer be required to follow any local restrictions. Instead, the county will operate under the lesser COVID-19 requirements laid out by the state in Colorado public health order 20-38, according to a news release from the county health department.
While all Larimer County restaurants and gyms have been able to operate at 100% capacity since April 16, all businesses will be able to open at full capacity without any social distancing requirements come Monday, county health department spokesperson Kori Wilford explained Thursday.
If more than 100 people are gathered inside a public indoor space for a gathering — not including churches, restaurants with sit-down dining, retail services and school proms or graduations that have been approved by the state health department — it can operate at full capacity, but must enforce social distancing between unvaccinated groups and cannot exceed 500 people.
With Monday’s shift, the county will also start following statewide mask rules, which currently require individuals older than 10 to wear a mask inside public places if your county’s 7-day COVID-19 case rate is above 35 cases per 100,000 and the space you’re in has 10 or more people who are not vaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.
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If your county’s 7-day case rate does not exceed 35 cases per 100,000 residents, masks are only required in specific indoor settings like schools, public areas of state government facilities, nursing facilities, prisons, jails, personal service settings and emergency medical settings. Larimer County’s 7-day rate was at 121 cases per 100,000 residents as of Thursday, according to the county health department.
Individuals are allowed to take off their masks in a public indoor space if 80% of the people present have shown proof of vaccination, according to the state. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying six feet apart from others, this new guidance does not overrule state mask mandates, the county health department said.
The statewide public health orders Larimer County is set to revert to may expire Saturday, but could also be extended or amended.
Larimer County will follow the state’s COVID-19 restrictions whether they’re extended, amended or expired, Wilford said.
The news of lifting local restrictions follows a 40% decrease in Larimer County COVID-19 cases since the county issued its April 16 public health order effectively moving its residents to Level Blue on the state’s former COVID-19 restriction dial.
So far, 320,461 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been given out to Larimer County residents and 60.2% of eligible residents have received one dose, according to the county health department’s latest figures. The county’s one-dose vaccination rate goal is 65% by May 25.
“These are the most significant declines (in cases) since early February 2021,” the news release said. “Larimer County health officials are confident that COVID-19 vaccination is driving the drop in cases and that this trend will continue if residents continue to get vaccinated.”
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Erin Udell reports on news, culture, history and more for the Coloradoan. Contact her at ErinUdell@coloradoan.com. The only way she can keep doing what she does is with your support. If you subscribe, thank you. If not, sign up for a digital subscription to the Coloradoan today.