The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) amended its “Safer at Home” public health order Friday, October 23, so that it now limits personal gatherings across the state to no more than 10 people from no more than two different households.

The order goes into effect immediately and will last at least 30 days.

CDPHE said the amendment was made because of the “alarming increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19” in Colorado. According to the state’s COVID-19 dashboard, Colorado has averaged over 1,000 new coronavirus cases over the past week. The test positivity rate is at 5.8%, the highest mark since June. Health experts say in order to get the virus under control, that number needs to be below 5%.

The seven-day average of new hospitalizations is 74. Over 8,400 people in Colorado have been hospitalized due to COVID19 since the beginning of the pandemic. There have been over 2,000 deaths among cases.

“We are asking all Coloradans to act with an abundance of caution to reverse these worrying trends. Right now, the virus is spreading when people from multiple households attend gatherings. We need to keep gatherings smaller and with people from fewer households — we are asking everyone to ‘shrink their bubble’ to reduce the spread,” said CDPHE Executive Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan in a news release. “Please take every effort to reduce contact with members of other households. If you can work remotely, please do so to reduce contact with other individuals. Taking action now can prevent your loved ones from getting sick, and help us save lives and avoid stricter public health orders in the future.”

There are some exceptions to the amended order: the order does not apply to counties under the “Protect Our Neighbors” level of the state’s COVID-19 dial dashboard. As of Friday, October 23, the only counties in the “Protect Our Neighbors” level are Gilpin, Gunnison, Mesa, Moffat, and Rio Blanco. See what level your county is in here.

“Certain counties, like Denver, Arapahoe, Adams, and Boulder, have recently instituted stricter public health orders on gathering sizes,” the announcement from CDPHE reads. “As always, Coloradans living in counties with stricter orders should continue to follow those orders.”

For more information on the state’s public health orders, click here.