Chaffee County will be moving to a higher level of Covid-19 restrictions.
The Colorado Department of Health informed the county yesterday that Chaffee County will be moving to the Orange Level, or high risk category, beginning at 5 pm on Friday.
Public Health Director Andrea Carlstrom said a number of new restrictions will take effect, including personal gathering size limited to 10, restaurants will reduced to 25 percent or 50 people whichever is fewer, and high risk individuals are advised to stay at home.
In their bi-weekly situational report, Chaffee County Public Health is reporting 60 new Covid-19 cases in the last 7 days, 117 in the last 14 days, for a 2-week positivity rate of 4.64 percent.
Chaffee County Public Health continues to offer free Covid-19 testing Monday through Friday in Salida at the Touber Building and Wednesdays in Buena Vista at the Annex.
Testing is by appointment only. Appointments must be scheduled by 4 pm the day before testing is held. To be screened and scheduled, call Public Health at 539-4510.
While a vaccine is on the horizon, Chaffee County Public Health says that it is important to know that there will be three phases of distribution for different populations.
In Phase 1, Chaffee County will only be getting a small portion that will be for the community’s highest risk populations and frontline healthcare workers.
The second phase will most likely be for essential workers, as defined by the state, and higher-risk workers.
The third phase will be for the general public.
The vaccine will require two doses spaced 21-days apart. Each vaccinated individual should acquire immunity within a month’s time.
Public Health cautions us that even though a vaccine is on the way, we are months away form a time when we can resume life as we once knew it, before the pandemic.
Fremont County is reporting 503 new cases of Covid-19 in the last 14 days with 38 hospitalizations.
