DENVER – Colorado’s largest county will also move to 100% capacity levels for restaurants on Friday, Denver officials announced Wednesday, pointing to a lower death rate due to more residents being vaccinated.
Denver will transition to “Level Blue” on Friday, allowing restaurants and gyms to operate at 100% capacity, although there will still be a six-foot social distance, limiting capacity somewhat.
Denver joins Adams, Arapahoe, Jefferson and Boulder counties as major metropolitan cities moving to Level Blue on Friday, when the state hands over COVID-19 authority to local governments. The state has a full list of Level Blue restrictions, although some protocols may differ from province to province.
While the number of cases has increased in Denver and throughout Colorado in recent weeks, Denver has reported five COVID-19 deaths since March 28. The weekly mortality rate was 37 in December and peaked at 56 in April last year, at the start of the pandemic. The seven-day moving average of daily COVID-19 hospital admissions in Denver was 3.29 Tuesday.
Bob McDonald, executive director of the Denver health department, said Denver’s death rate is “generally very low at the moment,” but the city is also “closely monitoring hospital admissions.”
McDonald and Mayor Michael Hancock said vaccine distribution has been the main driver in easing restrictions.
“The difference now from last year is that we have the vaccines,” said Hancock. “We make decisions based on data and the presence of the vaccine in our community.”
City officials said Wednesday that 41% of Denver residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 22.8% have been fully vaccinated. Statewide, 36.9% of Coloradans have received at least one dose and 22.4% have been fully vaccinated.
Denver’s changes this week also include a change to the city’s mask mandate. Masks are not required in outdoor environments, but they will remain indoors and on public transport. The modified mask order will expire in 30 days.
While local control takes effect this week, the state will still control major indoor events with more than 500 people, such as concerts and sporting events.
For outdoor events with less than 5,000 people, the event must have a social detachment mitigation plan. Outdoor events with more than 5,000 people will need to further consult with the city health service.
Jefferson County announced Tuesday that it would enter an “observation period” after May 15 during which no COVID-19 restrictions would be enforced. Denver does not plan to have an observation period at this point.
Douglas County withdrew from the Tri-County public health order on Tuesday and will have no restrictions other than those that remain in place at the state level. McDonald called that decision on Wednesday “a risky move and perhaps too soon”.