DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) moved Douglas County to Level 2 status on the Safer at Home dial due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.
“On Thursday, Oct. 29, we learned the state of Colorado moved Douglas County from Level 1 to the more restrictive Level 2 on the state’s Safer at Home Dial effective immediately, based primarily on COVID-19 case numbers, positivity, and incidence rate,” the Board of Douglas County Commissioners stated.
“Our Board’s focus is on the health of our citizens and our economy, paired with a renewed request to state decision-makers that they also consider actual severity (hospitalizations and deaths), a more accurate layer of science to enhance the Dial metric’s validity, and which public health experts have continued to request. Douglas County will continue to partner with Tri-County Health Department and like-minded local, regional and statewide leadership for this science-driven severity metric, while also advocating aggressively for the behaviors that reduce COVID-19 transmission.”
The county had been set at Level 1 with some variances. Arapahoe County moved to Level 2 on Oct. 28 and Adams County moved to Level 3. The difference between the restrictions from Level 1 that DougCo was in and new Level 2 restrictions are highlighted below.
| Business or Activity | Safer at Home Level 1 with Variances | Safer at Home Level 2 |
| Events (receptions, conferences, etc.) | 50% capacity per room up to 175 or 250 outdoors | 100 indoors per room or 175 outdoors |
| Gyms | 50% capacity per room up to 175 | 25% capacity up to 50 per room |
| Indoor Mall | 50% capacity per room up to 175 | Same as Level 1. Park Meadows variance stays in place. |
| Indoor Pools | 50% capacity per room up to 175 | 25% capacity up to 50 per room |
| Libraries | 50% capacity per room up to 175 | 100 indoors per room |
| Office-based Business, Critical | Must follow social distancing requirements and statewide mask mandate | Same as Level 1 |
| Office-based Business, non-critical | Allowed to operate with staff at up to 50% capacity | Same as Level 1 |
| Personal Services (spas, salons, etc.) | 50% capacity per room up to 50 | Same as Level 1 |
| Places of Worship and Life Rites | 50% capacity per room up to 175 | 50% capacity per room up to 50. Extra-large spaces (at least 30k SF) up to 100 |
| Restaurants | 50% capacity per room up to 175 | 50% capacity per room up to 50 |
| Retail, Critical (groceries, home improvement, pharmacies, etc.) | Must follow social distancing requirements and statewide mask mandate | Same as Level 1 |
| Retail, Non-critical | 50% capacity | Same as Level 1 |
| Social Gatherings | Up to 10, no more than 2 household | Up to 10, no more than 2 household |
| Team Sports | Up to 50 players | Up to 25 players |
Douglas County did not record any outbreaks during the week ending Oct. 14 while Adams and Arapahoe counties reported 14 combined for the same time. It seemed as though the county had been slowing down the spread.
The week ending Oct. 28, DougCo reported three outbreaks, same as the week before. The county has 4,211 cases and 65 deaths to date as of Friday.
