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EAGLE COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — The Eagle County Board of Health announced Wednesday that it has reinstated a countywide mask mandate indoors regardless of vaccination status.

The public health order becomes active at noon Wednesday, Dec. 22 and applies to all public indoor spaces, such as public facilities, businesses, and other common spaces.

The public health order is set to expire on Jan. 17, 2022, and will be reevaluated at that time, ECBOH said.

ECBOH said the decision was made in response to alarming news about the rise of COVID-19 cases in the community.

Medical providers reported a dramatic spike this week in the number of people sick with COVID-19.

ECBOH said the case count was previously hovering at about 300 cases per 100,000; as of Dec. 22, that number was reported at over 1,000 cases per 100,000, the highest during the pandemic. It is believed the large spike is due to the rise of the highly transmissible omicron variant.

Even though the state’s COVID-19 rate dropped over the last week, Eagle County’s rate rose. As of Tuesday, the county’s positivity rate was at 19.8%.

Here are some suggestions from ECBOH on gathering for the holidays:

  • Officials recommend hosting small holiday gatherings this year and, if possible, holding them outdoors.
  • They urge community members to take a “layered” approach of effective actions.
  • Washing hands, maintaining social distance, wearing face coverings, receiving vaccines and booster doses, seeking testing, as well as following isolation and quarantine protocol, are still recommended as the best practices for lowering the spread of the virus. 

Testing centers are set up throughout Eagle County though hours and locations are subject to change. Up-to-date information about testing locations, days, and times can be found at eaglecountycovid.org.