San Miguel County: Updated Public Health Order to Align & Observe!

19 May San Miguel County: Updated Public Health Order to Align & Observe!

Effective at 1 am MST on Thursday, May 20,San Miguel County will move into a new phase of COVID-19 pandemic response, removing capacity and distancing requirements and relaxing mask mandates in nearly all settings.

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For more information regarding the updated public health order, visit the county’s COVID page: bit.ly/smccovidpage.

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The updated directive to align and observe aligns the county with the state’s public health order, which went into effect on Friday, May 14, and will place the county in a 60-day period of observation regarding COVID metrics. This announcement comes as a result of the county’s sustained low case and high vaccination rates.

The state’s recent updates lift most face covering requirements for fully vaccinated people who, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), are two weeks post second dose in a two dose-series of the COVID-19 vaccine, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.

“If you have been fully vaccinated, the pandemic is largely over for you, and you can now resume your activities without a mask,” said Governor Jared Polis. “This is the day we have been waiting for. If you haven’t yet been vaccinated, you should continue to wear a mask in public indoor spaces. I hope the fun of an unmasked future incentivizes those who have yet to get the vaccine to do so.”

The state public health order requires any individual aged 11 and older, who is not fully vaccinated, to continue wearing a mask indoors where members of different households are present. Fully vaccinated individuals can go without masks in almost all settings.

According to the updated public health order, face coverings are still required in certain settings for individuals age 11 and older including, but not limited to:

1. Schools, grades preschool through 12, childcare centers and services, extracurricular activities unless all parties involved are fully vaccinated.

2. Personnel in healthcare settings that are unvaccinated or note fully vaccinated.

3. Public transportation, regardless of vaccination status, and within public transportation hubs such as airports, during travel and any indoor space where more than 100 unvaccinated individuals or individuals with unknown vaccination status are gathered in a room.

4. Towns, businesses, government entities or otherwise that have mask mandates in place that are more restrictive than the county public health order.

a. At this time, the Towns of Telluride and Mountain Village require mask use in all public indoor spaces.

Businesses can be more restrictive in the interest of public and guest safety and are strongly encouraged to follow best practices for preventing the spread of COVID-19.

While restrictions are widely removed at this time, Public Health will continue to closely monitor hospitalization, incidence and positivity rates throughout San Miguel County and neighboring counties over the next 60 days. The dial framework will remain active on the county dashboard and Public Health will reapply capacity limits if necessary to maintain control of the county’s disease burden. Should regional hospitals exceed 85% capacity, the CDPHE or SMC Public Health may implement additional restrictions to mitigate disease transmission.

“This shift to relaxing protocols is a direct result of our residents stepping up throughout the pandemic response. Our vigilance regarding the Five Commitments and now, regarding vaccination, has kept our community healthy throughout an incredibly difficult time,” said Public Health Director Grace Franklin. “To maintain our comeback momentum, we need everyone who is able and eligible to get a vaccine. The vaccine is our means to protect ourselves, our neighbors and our loved ones so we can get back to work, back to our routines, back to our regularly scheduled program.”

Power The Comeback:

Crowded places, covered faces
Get vaccinated
Stay home when sick and get tested