Rising COVID-19 case rates in Larimer County spurred officials to issue an emergency public health order Friday limiting attendance at recreational sports events and personal gatherings.
The order also encourages office-based businesses to increase remote working options to decrease contacts among employees and requires restaurants and bars to stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m.
“We need to implement these targeted strategies to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in Larimer County, thus reducing illness and a potential surge on the medical system; while avoiding further restrictions on our schools, businesses and places of worship,” stated Tom Gonzales, Larimer County public health director, in a press release.
As of Friday, the county’s 14-day case rate for COVID hit 193 per 100,000 residents. The test positivity rate for the disease reached 4.1%.
On Sept. 16, the incident rate was 74 per 100,000 and the test positivity rate was 2.4%. Hospitalizations in the county have increased to a level not seen since May.
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Colorado health officials on Friday issued a statewide order limiting personal gatherings to 10 people and no more than two households in response to the state’s spiking COVID numbers.
Larimer County’s order carries the same limits. Other restrictions include:
- Recreational sports are limited to players who reside in Larimer County or Weld and Boulder counties.
- Organized recreational and league sports are limited to two spectators per player with no more than 50% of capacity up to 100 spectators in indoor facilities and 175 in outdoor facilities.
- All teams and facilities participating in recreational and league sports must submit complete rosters, schedules, location of games and practices as well as contact information of all team members or parents of youths who participate, prior to teams playing in any league events, including practices.
- Personal indoor and outdoor gatherings are limited to no more than 10 people from no more than two separate households.
- Restaurants and bars must cease alcohol beverage sales for on-premise consumption and for takeout at 11 p.m.
- Noncritical office-based businesses are encouraged to increase remote work options and reduce in-person work as much as possible.
The order does not prohibit the gathering of people living in the same household, nor does it limit access to voting centers or ballot drop-off sites.
The specificity of measures in the order is tied to the county seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases associated with recreational sports and private gatherings, officials said. The county also has seen a growing number of COVID-19 outbreaks related to workplaces.
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Limiting alcohol sales has been an effective step in slowing the spread of the virus in other jurisdictions, according to the press release.
“It is critical that we wear masks and maintain social distancing and follow these protocols in order to keep our businesses open and maintain in-person learning in our schools,” stated Larimer County Commissioner Steve Johnson. “These guidelines have worked before and if we all pitch in and work together on this they will work again and we will get through this.”
Larimer County currently has a Safer at Home Level 1 status under the state’s framework for measuring the risk of COVID-19 infections.
If the county were to go to Level 2, new restrictions would go into effect, including tighter capacity limits on restaurants, bars and houses of worship. Tighter limits also could be placed on group sports, gyms and some outdoor activities.
Kevin Duggan is a senior columnist and reporter. Contact him at kevinduggan@coloradoan.com.