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COVID-19

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1. What are the key components of Summit County Safer at Home?

The goal of this phase is to maintain strict physical distancing. Critical businesses will remain open with strict precautions (physical distancing, face coverings should be worn in indoor public places and any other location where maintaining 6 feet of separation is not possible, more frequent cleanings, etc.). And non-critical businesses will begin to open with strict precautions and guidance.

• Retail businesses may open for curbside delivery.
• Elective medical and dental procedures begin, with strict precautions to ensure adequate personal protective equipment and the ability to meet critical care needs.
• Beginning May 1st - Personal services (salons, dog grooming, limited personal training, etc.) will open with strict precautions.
• Beginning May 1^st, non-critical retail (as defined by the State) may allow individual in-person shopping by appointment.  Appointments shall be limited to one person at a time and establishments must follow all applicable physical distancing protocols and requirements.
• Beginning May 8^th, retail businesses may open for in-store shopping. They must follow all applicable physical distancing protocols and requirements.
• Telecommuting/Remote work is strongly encouraged for offices. Starting on May 4, up to 50% of staff can work in person (with physical distancing in place).
• Nightclubs, gyms and spas will remain closed.
• No group gatherings of 10 or more people.
• K-12 schools remain online only for the 2019-2020 school year.
• Vulnerable populations and older adults must stay home unless absolutely necessary.

For more information and guidance about specific activities, businesses, and industries, see our Roadmap to Recovery.

2. What does this mean for the general public?

Follow the Five Commitments for Containment. Summit County asks all residents and visitors to commit to these five actions to contain the spread of COVID-19.

1. I will maintain 6 feet of physical distance from other individuals. Physical distancing is one of the most effective prevention measures against COVID-19. It’s important to keep at least 6 feet of distance from anyone not in your own household, to the greatest extent possible.
2. I will wash my hands often, for at least 20 seconds. Hand washing is especially important after visiting public settings, and before eating or touching your face. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. Find out more about hand washing and other strategies to protect yourself and others.
3. I will cover my face in public. Cloth face coverings are required in Summit County in all publicly accessible indoor spaces; they are also required outdoors whenever 6 feet of distance from other individuals may not possible. Face coverings are not a substitute for physical distancing. Find out more about face coverings.
4. I will stay home when I am sick. If you have any symptoms of illness (e.g., cough, fever, chills, shortness of breath, sore throat, headache), isolating yourself from others, including household members, will help protect their health and limit the spread of disease. Find out more about what to do if you’re sick.
5. I will get tested immediately if I have COVID-19 symptoms. Getting tested right after COVID-19 symptoms (e.g., cough, fever, chills, shortness of breath, sore throat, headache) develop can aid in your treatment and provide valuable information to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 to other people. Test results are extremely valuable to public health officials who are working to assess and control the spread of disease in our community. It is easy, convenient and free for visitors to get tested for COVID-19 in Summit County. Learn more about testing in Summit County.

3. What does this mean for older adults and vulnerable populations?

• Continue to Stay at Home except when absolutely necessary
• Utilize special industry hours for vulnerable populations

4. What does this mean for seeing friends and family?

• It is still encouraged that people should limit interactions except with immediate household
• If you do visit/gather with limited family or friends outside of your household limit to fewer than 10 people, stay 6 ft apart, wear face coverings, and limit contact
• Stick to solo and non-contact recreation activities like running, walking, or hiking in your local community. Do not travel outside of your local community for recreation. Contact sports and activities that include high touch equipment are prohibited by Safer at Home.

5. What criteria are you using to determine it is ok to move to “Summit County Safer at Home” restrictions?

According to public health officials, a number of conditions are needed to begin loosening restrictions. These include:

• Widespread access to testing – while this was not occurring, we now have testing available 7 days per week for anyone that is symptomatic. For the most updated information on testing, visit our webpage at: http://summitcountyco.gov/1324/Testing
• Hospitals and outpatient clinics have capacity to serve both COVID and non-COVID patients – our health care system has significant capacity and has not, at any point thus far, been overwhelmed by COVID patients.
• Active monitoring of COVID-19 patients and their contacts can be achieved – it is the responsibility of our Public Health Department to do surveillance and contact tracing. The surveillance team is increasing substantially and new staff are being trained. Our local public health agency is well equipped to handle this.
• A sustained decrease in cases for over 14 days – we do not yet have enough data to demonstrate this, but have met all of the other criteria, including significant capacity within our local health care system.

6. How will we know from testing results that things are or are not working?

In order to demonstrate a reduction in the presence of the virus in our community, of the tests that are being conducted, we must see 10% or fewer coming back positive for at least 14 days. With increased testing we will have significantly more data to determine the effectiveness of our measures, when we may be able to loosen them further or determine that they need to be tightened.

7. What is Summit County's plan to reopen and how quickly will that occur?

Summit County’s health care systems have recently greatly expanded testing capacity, which will allow us to also make decisions regarding possibly lifting some of our local restrictions in the near future. We have developed a Roadmap to Recovery that details specific criteria for when and how our County may move through the Stabilization Phase stages and reopen various different parts of the economy and community. You can view the Roadmap to Recovery here.

8. Are hotels, short-term rentals, second homes, and timeshares open?

Yes. Hotels, short-term rentals, second homes, and timeshares are a critical component to all aspects of our economy and are now open. Short-term rentals must follow all CDPHE guidelines, which suggests waiting 24 between guests checking out and cleaning, and Summit County guidelines, which suggest waiting 72 hours between check-outs and check-ins. 

9. How can you possibly allow childcare centers to open? Children cannot physically distance.

The most recent local Public Health Order allows childcare centers to open. If a childcare center does not believe they are ready to safely open, they can certainly choose not to open. Childcare facilities have been allowed to operate in many places across the state in order to provide care to children of critical workforce. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has released guidance for safe practices in childcare centers. These can be found here: https://covid19.colorado.gov/safer- at-home/safer-at-home-child-care-facilities

10. Are retail businesses open?

Yes. Pursuant to the Governor’s Order and CDPHE Orders all Non-Critical Retail (As defined by the State) may sell goods through delivery service, window service, walk-up service, drive-through service, drive-up service, curbside delivery, in-store sales. Retailers must follow: 

• Open at 50% capacity and/or at a capacity that enables the retailer to: 

  • maintain 6-foot distancing between customers and employees, 

  • effectively symptom monitor employees,

  • provide face coverings or masks and gloves to employees, and 

  • ensure ability to adequately clean and sanitize both back-room and retail spaces - if unable to meet this requirements, continue operating with curbside pick-up / delivery only

11. What are personal services businesses? And can they conduct business?

According to the Colorado Safer at Home Public Health Order, personal services include but are not limited to:

• Professional beauty services:
  • Hair salons
  • Barber Shops
  • Nail Salons
  • Esthetician services
  • Cosmetologist services
• Body art professionals
• Massage therapists
• Personal training services or classes for fewer than 4 people
• Pastoral services
• Pet-groomers and pet-grooming facilities
• Pet-handlers and pet-transporters
• Pet-training services
• Tailors and dry cleaners
• Sun-tanning services

Yes, these services can now conduct business. These individual services may only be performed with fewer than 10 people in a single location at a maximum of 50% occupancy for the location, whichever is less, including both employees and customers with Physical Distancing Requirements of at least 6 feet  of separation between clients/customers when not directly performing service. Both employees and customers must wear at least a cloth face covering or a medical grade mask at all times. Only services that can be performed without the customer removing their mask are permitted. Services must be by appointment only. For more guidance, visit the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. 

12. Are organized sports, including youth sports, allowed?

Organized youth or adult recreational sports leagues in groups of up to 25 players, excluding coaches or referees/umpires at a time per court or per field. For more information, please see the state guidelines.

Spectators are strongly discouraged for adult sports. Spectators, like parents, are permitted for youth sports, so long as members from different households maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance from each other.

Solo or non-contact recreation activities like running, walking or hiking in your local community are advised.

13. What if I have a small office of 2 or 3 people? Do I still have to reduce work force by 50%.

The State public health order does not specify an exception for small businesses. Based on the guidance we have reviewed to date the threshold is 50% for all size businesses.

14. What does the physical distancing and safety precautions business plan and process entail?

All businesses will be required to complete an application describing how they will meet all of the recommended physical distancing and safety precautions prior to reopening, for in-person, in-store service or any other services. This plan will be posted at the front door, entrance, or another visible location of the establishment and must be adhered to at all times. It will include physical distancing and safety precautions for employees, customers and others entering the establishment. The plan should also be posted on the business’ website. The Summit County Business Physical Distancing Protocol can be found on the County website at here.

15. What is the antibody test? When will it be available? How will we use it to make decisions?

During the ongoing COVID pandemic, many companies are distributing rapid serological test kits to detect IgM and/or IgG antibodies in COVID-19 patients. Some of these tests are being marketed as rapid, point-of-care tests (POC) for use outside the laboratory setting. As of April 21, 2020, none of these tests have been evaluated or approved for this type of use.

CDPHE discourages the use of any serological assay that has not been approved by the FDA or at the state level, for any purpose other than research. Furthermore, until better information about test accuracy and immunity following infection is available, CDPHE recommends against using unapproved antibody testing for purposes other than epidemiological studies, convalescent plasma donation and research.

There is no CDC guidance for public health action or interpretation of results from serological testing. The Infectious Disease Society of America has released a COVID-19 Antibody Testing Primer (https://www.idsociety.org/globalassets/idsa/public-health/covid-19/idsa-covid-19-antibody-testing-primer.pdf ) that provides context on the background and interpretation of antibody tests for COVID-19. Results from all COVID-19 testing, including serological testing, must be reported to CDPHE.

Use of serological tests may give a false sense of safety to patients. While results from these tests may indicate that a patient has been exposed to COVID-19, they cannot reliably determine if the patient is currently infected. Due to open questions related to antibodies and immunity, serological tests cannot definitively predict whether a patient will be immune to infection with the virus in the future, or if they can currently spread the virus to others. Negative antibody test results can be the result of testing early in the infection, prior to the development of a strong immunological response.

Additionally, antibody tests may cross react with other seasonal respiratory viruses resulting in false positive results. If and when any of these issues is meaningfully resolved, CDPHE will update guidance accordingly. The most accurate, FDA-approved testing available at this time is molecular based testing, or PCR testing. This type of testing detects the presence of the COVID-19 virus in patient samples, but is not useful in determining past exposure in fully recovered patients.

16. We have an event planned for 100 people this summer. Should we cancel it?

That depends on the size of your venue. Indoor events are limited to a maximum of 100 people, and outdoor events are limited to a maximum 175 people, but both depend on the size of the venue. For local and state guidance on indoor events, please see this this web page. For local and state guidance on outdoor events, please see this web page. 

Please be aware of the fact that the size of the venue, either indoor or outdoor, will be the limiting factor in the size of your planned event. 

The event size calculator can be found here. 

17. How are we communicating all of this information to our Spanish speaking population?

Summit County launched an extensive ad campaign on KQSE, La Nueva mix, pushing messaging on social distancing and instructions for people who are experiencing symptoms. We are providing face mask flyers in English and Spanish through meal distribution points. All press releases and Emergency Blog posts are offered in English and Spanish and are being shared on social media. We are in the process of translating all web content into Spanish; working to contract professional services to provide translations for all BOH meetings. Communications and Public Health staff are participating in an equity task force, which focuses on ensuring the Latinx perspective is heard and incorporated into decision making. This includes weekly Facebook town halls with participation up to 1300 people.

This week, a program was launched to provide at least 2,000 cloth face coverings and educational flyers in English and Spanish at the entrance to local grocery stores.

18. What are the new Summit Stage Routes and how will we make them safe?

Starting Monday, June 8, Summit Stage will increase service levels along major routes within Summit County, commuter routes to Park County and Lake County, and restore service to Blue River and Copper Mountain.

The following Summit County routes will restore daytime half-hourly departures between 6 am and 6 pm:

• Frisco to Breckenridge
• Boreas Pass Loop
• Breckenridge to Frisco
• Frisco to Silverthorne
• Silverthorne to Keystone
• Keystone to Silverthorne
• Silverthorne to Frisco

In addition to Summit County route service enhancements, inter-county commuter routes will also see expanded service. The Lake County Link commuter route will now offer four trips in each direction:

• Leadville departures at 5:20 am, 7:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 6:50 pm
• Frisco departures at 12:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 5:50 pm, and 10:30 pm

The Park County commuter route will enhance service to offer the following trips:

• Fairplay departures at 6:43, 7:43 am, and 12:43 pm
• Breckenridge departure at 12:00 pm, 5:15 pm, and 6:15 pm

Service to Copper Mountain and Blue River will be also be restored on June 8. Departures between Frisco and Copper Mountain will occur on an hourly basis from Frisco Station and Passage Point/Center Village.

Summit Stage will reinitiate service along the Blue River commuter route with the following schedule:

• Breckenridge departures at 5:45 pm and 9:00 pm
• Blue River (Quandary Road) departures at 6:00 pm and 9:15 pm

Mountain Mobility complementary paratransit service remains open to the public as an application-based demand-response service with full operations daily between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Travel must be scheduled at least one day in advance by calling (970) 389-1041, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In accordance with the amended and restated county public health order, several safety measures remain in place on all buses to help prevent community spread of the COVID-19 disease:

• To maintain appropriate social distancing, the number of riders per bus will be limited to less than 10 passengers.
• Drivers and passengers older than two years of age will be required to wear face coverings at all times.
• Passengers will be asked to only use the bus rear door when loading or unloading where a rear door is available.
• Buses with only a single front door will be modified with a physical barrier to allow riders to board at the front, but be physically separated from the driver.
• Selected seats will be closed to use.

For the most up to date information on schedules, visit the Summit Stage Website or download the Summit Stage app. 

19. What is surveillance and contact tracing and do we have enough capacity to do it with increased testing?

Surveillance is the work that local public health agencies do to track the presence of a virus in a community.  Once someone is confirmed as infected with a virus, contacts are identified by asking about the person’s activities and the activities and roles of the people around them since onset of illness. Contacts can be anyone the person has had contact with. By identifying contacts and then prescribing isolation or quarantine, the surveillance team can help mitigate the spread of the virus. The local surveillance team in Summit County is expanding substantially and new staff are being trained as we speak.  Our local public health department is well equipped to handle this.

20. What are we doing to support/communicate with our neighboring counties?

We are in regular communication with neighboring counties around response, recovery and safer at home. Summit County is attempting to have as much of a regional approach as possible. This includes at least weekly, often daily coordination between Public Health Directors, County and Town Managers, and Emergency Managers.

21. I have heard the term “social distancing” and now see that there are references to “physical distancing”. What is the difference?

On April 30, after discussion with the Public Health Director and Board of Health, Summit County Government initiated a change in the language related to the local public health orders to differentiate physical distancing from social distancing.  Given the tremendous stress caused by distancing to mitigate the spread of the virus, it was emphasized that community members should physically distance while maintaining social connection.  According to Mental Health Colorado, “What we need is social closeness, solidarity, mutual support, and a confidence-building sense of strength in togetherness”. This purposeful change in terminology is intended to encourage people to reach out and connect with others, even if physical proximity is temporarily suspended.

22. What about my wedding? Can more than 10 people come?

Yes, CDPHE Safer at Home guidelines for Places of Worship allow for a maximum 50% capacity or up to 50 people per room with strict physical distancing and masks. Outdoor wedding ceremonies are permitted up to local capacity levels, as long as groups from different households spaced at least 6 feet apart. For more guidelines and recommendations on weddings, see the CDPHE Places or Worship guidance. 

However, it is very important to note that this guidance applies only to wedding ceremonies. Social receptions for wedding ceremonies must still must follow mass gathering limitations, for indoor events or outdoor events.