Colorado is still fighting multiple fires across the state, and today, Governor Polis announced that state workers who are evacuated as a result of the fires can use paid administrative leave to ensure their own safety and protect loved ones.
The focus for containment and recovery efforts has now turned to five large fires, two of which are more than 90% contained:
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Cameron Peak Fire: 102,596 Acres, 4% Contained (3 primary structures, 22 second homes/cabins, and 29 out buildings destroyed)
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Middle Fork Fire: 4,795 Acres, 0% Contained (Routt County)
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Pine Gulch Fire: 139,007 Acres, 95% Contained
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Grizzly Creek Fire: 32,431 Acres, 91% Contained
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Williams Fork Fire: 12,157 Acres, 10% Contained
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TRANSPARENCY AND EARLY WARNING SIGNS |
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Today, Governor Polis was joined by Dr. Rachel Herlihy from the Department of Public Health and Environment, to provide an update on the state’s response to COVID-19. Dr. Herlihy addressed potentially concerning trends of rising cases, increased positivity rates, and decreased social distancing, and reminded Coloradans about the importance of wearing masks, washing hands, avoiding large crowds, physically distancing, and getting tested.
From the first reported COVID-19 case in Colorado, one of the Governor’s top priorities in effectively managing this public health crisis has been to increase transparency. It does not serve the best interest of Coloradans to keep metrics hidden, and the state is committed to sharing our progress with the public every step of the way.
Several weeks ago, we saw some encouraging signs: Our positivity rate and hospitalization rate remained low. Our prevention methods were working, and our overall virus spread trends were holding steady for a number of weeks.
Unfortunately, at this point in time we find ourselves in a situation that harkens back to virus transmission rates seen earlier this year. There are some early warning signs that are not cause for immediate alarm, but must be monitored carefully.
The current trends are concerning, but not terribly surprising given the Labor Day holiday weekend, which saw a spike in out-of-state visitors and increased social gatherings -- as well as some terribly irresponsible superspreader college parties that took place over the last few weeks.
Despite these circumstances, we are not at the point of no return. If we all do our part and get back to implementing known prevention methods, upward trends will reverse.
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The Governor and Dr. Herlihy unveiled CDPHE's dial framework today, which will add further transparency, clarity, and predictability for Coloradans and local government officials as they work to protect themselves and reopen their communities to the fullest extent.
The dial framework (featured below) provides a real-time, visual representation of a community’s success in containing the spread of COVID-19, and goes into effect today. County leaders are encouraged to use the dial as another important tool to balance the need to control the virus with the social and economic needs of their county.
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The dial framework includes five levels to guide county responses to COVID-19:
- Protect Our Neighbors
- Safer at Home 1
- Safer at Home 2
- Safer at Home 3
- Stay at Home
Counties move between levels based on three metrics:
- Number of new cases
- Percent positivity of COVID tests
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Impact on hospitalizations
To move to a less restrictive level (e.g., Level 2 to Level 1), counties need to meet and sustain all three metrics for two weeks. At that point, a local government can choose to move to the next level, until they are able to enter the Protect Our Neighbors phase. Once a county reaches Protect Our Neighbors, for each month that metrics are sustained, they can reopen even further. As demonstrated by counties that have qualified for Protect Our Neighbors: Mesa, Gilpin, Rio Blanco -- and as of today Gunnison and Moffat, more control over the virus manifests a community's ability to reopen.
Plus, the dial takes politics out of the equation, as these levels are based on scientific evidence and what we know has been working in local communities to clear a path to prosperity.
If a county falls out of compliance, they will have two weeks to regain compliance. If, after two weeks, their numbers still fall outside of the level requirements, a consultation process with CDPHE will follow. During that process, local factors, data, and mitigation measures will all be taken into account as the county and the state work together to plan next steps.
The dial framework will replace the general variance process in most cases. All current variances will remain intact, either because the variance fits under the dial framework, or because they are still recognized. Future changes will be presided over using the dial framework and policies, and counties may still apply for limited, site-specific variances for special requests like hosting a limited number of patrons at large venues. And to further maximize transparency, CDPHE launched a new dial dashboard that tracks all of these metrics and the level of each county.
As the impact of COVID-19 varies by community, it’s up to local governments and local public health agencies to address regional concerns and meet the unique set of challenges presented.
The Governor and the State of Colorado commend the efforts of counties that are empowering themselves with data. In fact, our dial framework was inspired by many of the local communities that first pioneered this process. Through state support of local control, we can effectively maintain public health, while setting our sights on reopening local economies as soon as possible.
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