Denver, other counties add more restrictions as COVID-19 outlook worsens

share

DENVER — Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced October 27 that the City and County of Denver is moving from “Safer Level 2” to “Safer Level 3” as the COVID-19 situation worsens.

The move from Level 2 to Level 3 means more restrictions will be implemented this week. Level 3, also labeled as the “High Risk” level, is just one step below a stay at home order. Under Level 3, offices, restaurants, and retail can only operate at 25% capacity (down from 50% in Level 2). Schools are encouraged to limit in-person classes and move to remote or hybrid learning models.

Read more about Level 3 restrictions here.

"Despite our best efforts and the fact that most Denverites are dutifully wearing face coverings, practicing social distancing, postponing family gatherings, and otherwise making sacrifices to keep our community safe, Denver is not an island," Hancock said. "We are the capital city, the largest city of the state, visited every day, and we can not control what our near neighbors and others may be doing when they visit our city. I don’t believe this is Denver's failing. It is rather a failing by those who still refuse to believe in science, and those who do not take [COVID-19] seriously."

The mayor’s announcement arrives a little over a week after he announced that public gatherings must be limited to five people, unless they are from the same household.

The levels come from the state’s “COVID-19 dial dashboard,” a system that shows which level of “open” each county in the state is. There are five different levels on the dial (from most open to most restrictive): Protect Our Neighbors, Safer Level 1, Safer Level 2, Safer Level 3, and Stay at Home.

Hancock said the new restrictions will not affect voting locations for people who want or need to vote in person. He did say it could be a “little while” before we move back to a lower level of restrictions. To get back to Level 2, Denver needs to reduce the average number of new cases, COVID-19 test positivity rates, and hospitalizations rates, and then hold those reduced numbers for two weeks.

Denver, Logan, and Adams counties are the only counties currently under Level 3 restrictions, but more counties could join them. The Colorado Department of Health and Environment released a list of counties changing their levels on the dial:

  • Arapahoe County is moving to Level 2 on Oct. 28.
  • Otero County is moving to Level 2 on Oct. 30.
  • Crowley County is moving Level 2 on Oct. 30

La Plata County moved to Level 2 on October 26, and Mesa County moved to Level 1.

According to data provided by Denver Public Health, the city’s seven-day moving average of new COVID-19 cases is the highest it has been since the beginning of the pandemic.

There have been over 450 deaths from COVID-19 in Denver, as well as almost 18,000 total cases. On October 26, the city tweeted that another Stay at Home Order could be necessary if the COVID-19 outlook does not improve.

The neighborhoods in Denver with the highest rates of COVID-19 are currently Barnum, College View/South Platte, Elyria-Swansea, Ruby Hill, Valverde, and Villa Park. More neighborhood-specific data is available here.

Denver is not alone when it comes to this “third wave” of the pandemic. Boulder County also floated the possibility of moving to Level 3 restrictions. "It’s no surprise that more Boulder County residents are testing positive for COVID-19 since we’re seeing statewide and national surges,” Boulder County Public Health executive director Jeff Zayach said in a news release. “Unfortunately, this is pushing us toward the possibility of needing to restrict how many people can be in shared areas.”

To see the latest statewide COVID-19 data, click here.

"If we’re going to get anywhere close to normal in the near future, we all have to take on the responsibility to make it happen," Hancock said. "We can get this thing back under control.”