SM County: Testing Important as Spring Break Travel Concludes & Off-Season Continues!

20 Apr SM County: Testing Important as Spring Break Travel Concludes & Off-Season Continues!

San Miguel County summarizes CDC travel guidelines for vaccinated and unvaccinated.

For corona vaccine info, visit here.

For up-to-date coronavirus information, visit here.

For free coronavirus testing opportunities, visit here.

For all Covid blogs from San Miguel County, go here.

Since March 2020, travel has resulted in 59 residents contracting COVID-19 in San Miguel County. As off-season and spring break travel continue, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has released guidelines for testing and quarantine for those fully vaccinated and those who are unvaccinated.

For those that have been fully vaccinated, the CDC states that a test is not necessary before or after traveling within the United States, nor is quarantine after returning as long as the fully vaccinated traveler has no symptoms. For those planning to travel internationally outside the United States, testing, regardless of vaccine status, varies by destination and the United States requires a negative test before reentry.

For unvaccinated people, testing before and after travel can reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. The CDC recommends unvaccinated travelers get tested within one to three days before departure. Delay travel if awaiting test results. Maintain a copy of results when you travel. Travelers should get tested no sooner than five days after returning home. Even if results are negative, nonessential activities should be reduced for seven days. For travelers that choose not to get tested, the CDC advises that nonessential activities be avoided for 10 days.

For those vaccinated and unvaccinated, continue to monitor for symptoms closely after any travel. If at any point symptoms arise or test results return positive, stay home, immediately isolate, and follow public health recommendations.

Regulations continue to differ throughout the country, however Public Health and the CDC encourage residents to continue employing the Five Commitments of Containment in order to contain the spread of COVID-19.

“In this global health crisis, when people travel, the virus can travel with them,” said Public Health Director Grace Franklin. “Our top priority for travelers is that they do so safely. Continuing protective measures any time you’re away from home has been proven effective no matter where you are.”

San Miguel County Public Health has added additional free COVID testing opportunities to account for increased exposure through travel. Dedicated testing sites continue to offer free testing to residents and visitors alike. Public Health encourages anyone who is sick or has experienced a recent exposure to get tested for COVID-19.

Wednesday, April 21 – Carhenge, Telluride – 10 am to 12 pm
Wednesday, April 21 – Mountain Village Gondola Parking Garage – 2 pm to 4 pm
Thursday April 22 – Norwood Fairground’s Pig Palace – 10 am to 3 pm
Friday, April 23 – Telluride Regional Airport – 2 to 6 pm
Monday, April 26 – Lawson Hill – 7 am to 2 pm

All are encouraged to take advantage of these free testing opportunities which can be found on the county’s COVID webpage: bit.ly/smccovidtesting.

At-home test kits such as BinaxNOW, Pixel or Vault require a fee, but could better fit various schedules. Be sure to research COVID regulations for departure and return, as some international destinations require a negative test in order to return to the United States.

Public Health has confirmed five new positive cases of COVID-19 from test results received from April 16 through April 19. Of these cases, three are confirmed as residents and all actively contagious cases are currently in isolation. Public Health was unable to contact the two non-residents, and transferred these cases to their home counties.

As of release time today, there have been 863 total COVID cases among residents to date with 5 active cases.

To learn more about the county’s current COVID-19 metrics, please visit the County COVID-19 dashboard.

22-year-old female, non-resident
25-year-old male, non-resident
42-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, workplace
48-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, workplace
57-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, workplace

Five Commitments of Containment:

Wear a mask
Maintain six feet of physical distance
Minimize group size
Wash hands frequently
Stay home when sick and get tested