COVID-19  August 7, 2020

State health department keeps Larimer County’s COVID variance in place

FORT COLLINS and DENVER — Various sets of businesses in Larimer County will be able to stay open at current capacities after the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment kept the county’s variance from state COVID rules in place.

In a statement Thursday evening, Larimer County Public Health said state officials determined the area’s patterns of viral spread haven’t reached levels that would require a return to stricter rules on commerce and social gatherings.

Larimer County was granted a variance by the state in May, which are given to counties with low virus transmission rates. The loosened rules allowed previously shuttered businesses such as indoor malls, restaurants, gyms, theaters, bowling alleys, libraries and hotels to reopen under limited circumstances.

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However, an increase in daily case counts through mid-June, including a county record of 42 new cases on June 27, required the state health department to review the county’s practices to determine if it could keep the variance.

In response, Larimer health officials submitted an updated monitoring plan and said they would follow up more aggressively on reports of rule violations at businesses and public spaces.

Over the last two weeks, Larimer County has had 10 days with more than 15 new positive cases, and the utilization of intensive-care beds in the county was at 64% as of Friday morning.

In a statement, Larimer County Public Health Director Tom Gonzales said the county’s transmission rate has stabilized, but more spread can occur if locals relax their efforts to stay socially distant, wash their hands and wear masks around others.

“We must continue to slow our cases to keep NOCO open at our current capacity,” he said.

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