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Chaffee County Public Health (CCPH) released amended public health guidelines for businesses, events, and large gatherings this week, covering events, businesses, camps, and worship services. 

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Per the amended order, all business and government functions, children’s residential and day camps, youth sports camps, and places of worship are recommended to continue keeping six feet of physical distance indoors and three feet outdoors, washing hands often, wearing face coverings properly in public indoor spaces, requiring testing for employees with any COVID-19 symptoms, and requiring all patrons and employees to stay home if sick. Unvaccinated members of places of worship are strongly encouraged to join services virtually.

Event capacities, distancing, and permitting requirements will be based on venues and capacities, excluding necessary event staff. In-person events for unvaccinated individuals are highly discouraged as the pandemic continues.

  1. Capacities for indoor events will be capped based on a six-foot social distancing requirement and based on the size of the venue. Maximum capacities will be determined by the social distancing space calculator at https://covid19.colorado.gov/distancing-calculator. 
  2. According to the Chaffee County Board of Health (CCBH), outdoor events in the county will have a maximum allowable cap of 2,000 attendees. CCBH will review the cap at least once a month and may adjust it based on up-to-date metrics.
  3. Organizations seeking to host special events in the county must submit a proposed COVID-19 element with their health and safety plan. CCPH will provide a COVID-19 toolkit to planners as a resource. 
  4. Nothing in the order modifies or supersedes permitting requirements from local governments or municipalities. Refer to county/municipal regulations for special event permitting requirements.

Non-school-related group sports and activities shall follow the capacity restrictions above. Except for critical business or critical county operations, voluntary 10-day self-quarantines (seven days with a negative test result) are strongly recommended whenever unvaccinated individuals engage in unnecessary, out-of-county travel or participate in risky activities. 

It is also strongly recommended that event planners reach out to and coordinate with local public health teams to implement appropriate COVID-19 protocols. Director of CCPH, Andrea Carlstrom also said that they will be working on an FAQ document and event planner toolkit this week.

The order will be in effect through 12:00 midnight on August 31, 2021, unless extended, rescinded, superseded, or amended in writing. CCPH continues to monitor local metrics and may adjust restrictions based on up-to-date numbers and trajectories. Should the vaccination rate of Chaffee County residents reach 70 percent, CCPH will review the order in an effort to potentially loosen restrictions. Should Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center exceed 85 percent of bed capacity due to COVID-19, CCPH will review the order and impose additional restrictions if necessary.