The decision to push Moffat County into Safer at Home Level Orange, rather than Safer at Home Level Yellow on Wednesday brings significant restrictions to a community that had previously enjoyed relaxed restrictions in Protect Our Neighbor since Sept. 15.

Now, in one of the stricter public health orders the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has rolled out as part of its new “dial,” Moffat County sees capacity at restaurants, places of worship, and local shops drop to 25% or 50 people, placing the county back near where it was in April and May.

In the Protect Our Neighbor phase, Moffat County previously was permitted to return to activities at 50 percent of pre‐pandemic capacity, with at least six feet between non‐household members and no more than 500 people in one place at one time.

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Now, capacity is at 25% and gatherings outdoors are limited to 75 people, putting a significant hindrance on holiday happenings within the community.

According to the CDPHE’s Level Orange explanation, Level Orange is “for counties where numbers are going up but not to the point where everything needs to be shut down.”

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Specific metrics for Level Orange include the following:

• New COVID-19 cases are at an incidence of no greater than 350 per 100,000 in a two week period
• The percent of positive results over a rolling 14 day average is no greater
  than 15%
• Hospitalization rates are increasing in the preceding 14 day period.

With Moffat County meeting all of those metrics at this time, the following restrictions are placed on the county:

• No gatherings of more than 10 people from two households
• No more than 25% in-person workers for non-critical office businesses.
• No more than 50% capacity for critical and non-critical retail businesses.
• No more than 25% capacity, or 50 people, at restaurants, houses of worship and other indoor locations.
• No more than 25% capacity, or 25 people, for indoor gyms and recreation centers.

Should Moffat County continue on the upward COVID-19 trajectory that it’s one, the county would likely be pushed to Level Red, joining Routt County, which went to Level Red on Wednesday.

• No gatherings of more than two non-household members.
• No more than 10% capacity for non-critical office businesses.
• No more than 50% capacity for critical and non-critical retail businesses.
• No indoor dining at restaurants.
• No indoor events.
• No more than 10% capacity, or 10 people, for indoor gyms.

jcarney@craigdailypress.com