March 20 – Colorado will further relax COVID-19 restrictions managed through the state’s color-coded dial next week, with plans to ease the state-wide mask order in two weeks, then transfer control of most public health orders to governments local in mid-April.
The proposed changes to the dial include the reopening of bars in most parts of the state for the first time since last summer and the lifting of all state-wide limits on the size of personal gatherings.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment launched a draft plan for what it calls “Dial 3.0” on Friday night and requested public feedback on the proposed changes, which will take effect – with possible changes – on Wednesday.
The main objective of the new plan: to make it easier for counties to reach the green level, the lower end of the dial and to eliminate most virus-related restrictions in counties at that stage of the dial, including any limits on restaurant service capacity.
Subsequent changes would allow the reopening of bars in Level Blue counties at low capacity and the lifting of all capacity limits for outdoor events in Level Green and Blue counties.
The plan, released Friday night, also calls for a state-amended masked order to be issued on April 4. This directive would raise the mask requirements in green level councils for everyone except students aged 11 to 18 by the end of the school year.
Private companies and local governments could still issue their own mask warrants.
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For the Blue, Yellow, Orange and Red levels, the mask mandate would remain in force for the same group of students and for any indoor public place with 10 or more people present. The existing state mask order will remain in force for all counties that reach the Purple level, the highest phase.
Under this plan, Dial 3.0 will remain in effect until April 16, when a new state-wide public health order will be issued to continue the boundaries of internal, seatless assemblies. Beyond that, the state’s previous public health records and orders would become guidelines that local governments might or may not follow.
The announcement of further changes to the state’s COVID-19 quadrant came on the same day that the state opened eligibility for vaccination to an additional 2.5 million people, and public health officials acknowledge a growing number of infections through vaccines. more contagious coronavirus in the state and payment of general cases and hospitalizations.
“Because of the commitment of all Coloradoans, we are where we are now, able to be less restrictive and give more control to local communities and their public health agencies, while protecting public health,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of state health department in a statement. “It’s about a balance. We’ve adopted the restrictions we need to slow the disease, while trying to limit the ramifications of closing parts of the state and the impacts that come with it.”
Colorado implemented the color-coded dial in September as a way to move 64 counties of the state to different levels of public health restrictions, based on local virus transmission and hospitalizations for COVID-19.
However, the state has changed the values on the call several times since then, including by adding a new upper end – Level Purple – when it emerged that many counties were moving to another blockade and easing restrictions by launching 2.0 “last month.
Currently, only two counties are at the Green level – Crowley and Otero – and 45 are at the Blue level, the second lowest level of restrictions. Level Blue counties in the subway area include Arapahoe and Jefferson.
The remaining 17 counties are at the Yellow Level, the next stage of the dial and that includes Denver, Adams, Douglas and Boulder counties. Broomfield moved to the Blue Level, but returned to the Yellow Level earlier this month.
Denver recently moved closer to qualifying for the Blue Level, before a small increase in cases took the city back; the numbers are trending again in this direction and it is possible that the city will qualify sometime next week.
Changes to the Dial 3.0 plan include:
– Values for changing the Green level to facilitate the achievement of that stage by the counties, going from 35 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people from 15 cases to 100,000
– Most Level Green restrictions are completely removed, including restaurant dining caps. Bars, gyms and indoor events will continue to be kept at a 50% limit or at a limit of 500 people, whichever is lower.
– Also, the values for the Blue Level would change, in 36 to 100 cases per 100,000 people, from 15 to 100 cases per 100,000
– Bars will be able to reopen in the Blue Level, with a capacity limit of 25% or 75 people, whichever is less
– Outdoor events in the green and blue levels would have no capacity restrictions, unless the counties chose to implement them locally
– Retail trade, offices and non-critical production in Level Blue counties could operate at 75% capacity, up from 50%
– No state limit on the size of the personal gathering, although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends avoiding large gatherings
– 5-star certified companies in Level Blue counties could operate at a capacity of 60%, without exceeding 50 people above the limit for restaurants and indoor events and 25 people above the limit for gyms
State health officials say they are moving forward with the changes due to the growing number of coloradans who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
By the middle of next month, the state health agency intends to move to a “more local model” that would allow county health departments to take greater control over the types of capacity restrictions that are currently dictated by the dial.
The state health department invites Coloradans to review the Dial 3.0 proposal and submit feedback via an online form. The deadline for feedback is Monday at noon. The state will launch an updated project on Tuesday, with the changes due to take effect on Wednesday.
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