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Coronavirus in Colorado: COVID-19 updates for Oct. 19-Oct. 25, 2020

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More than 85,000 people in Colorado have tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) since the virus reached the state. Of those, more than 8,000 people were hospitalized.

READ MORE: List of Colorado businesses that are open

Click here for the latest update on the number of cases, the age, gender and location of presumptive positive, indeterminate and confirmed cases from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Below, we're updating this blog with the latest information regarding COVID-19 in Colorado.


Latest updates:

Sunday, Oct. 25

4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado, as of 4 p.m. Sunday, with the change from Saturday in parentheses.

95,089 cases (+1,689)
8,622 hospitalized (+24)
64 counties (+0)
1,149,629 tested (+12,059)
1,842,254 test encounters (+24,058)
2,223 deaths among cases (+5)
2,076 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
1,057 outbreaks (+1)

The latest hospital data showed 586 beds in use by COVID-19 patients or suspected COVID-19 patients. Saturday's three-day average positivity rate in Colorado was 6.56%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.

Saturday, Oct. 24

4 p.m. | Latest COVID-19 numbers

Here are the latest coronavirus numbers for Colorado, as of 4 p.m. Saturday, with the change from Friday in parentheses.

93,400 cases (+1,828)
8,598 hospitalized (+41)
64 counties (+0)
1,137,570 tested (+13,161)
1,818,196 test encounters (+27,792)
2,218 deaths among cases (+7)
2,076 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
1,056 outbreaks (+13)

The latest hospital data showed 599 beds in use by COVID-19 patients or suspected COVID-19 patients. Friday's three-day average positivity rate in Colorado was 6.29%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.

Friday, Oct. 23

7:31 p.m. | New COVID-19 restrictions imposed on restaurants, other services as cases surge in Adams County

Residents in Adams County will have to live with new restrictions on their day-to-day lives starting next Wednesday due to skyrocketing cases of the novel coronavirus over the past several weeks.

The county, which was on Safer-at-Home Level 2 on the state’s COVID-19 dial – a framework used by the state to inform counties about how they are doing to contain the virus – will be moved back to Level 3 (the highest risk level before stay-at-home mandates are imposed) by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment due to the high incidence rate of COVID-19 infections.

The move to tighter restrictions under Safer-at-Home Level 3 will take place Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 5 p.m.

Under the new restrictions the following will take effect:

  • Personal indoor gatherings will be restricted to 5 people, while outdoor personal gatherings will only be allowed to have no more than 10 people (these restrictions went into effect on Oct. 16)
  • Restaurants may operate at 25% of the posted occupancy limit, not to exceed 25 people, per room.
  • Houses of worship and Life Rites may operate at 25% or 50 people. For outdoor worship services, a house of worship must maintain six feet distance between non-household members.
  • Indoor events may operate at 50% capacity or 25 people, whichever is fewer.
  • Non-critical retail can continue to operate at 25% of the posted occupancy limit
  • Personal services may continue to operate at 25% of the posted occupancy limit, not to exceed 25 people, per room.
  • Gyms, recreation centers and indoor pools are not authorized to open for in-person services; virtual services may be provided.
  • Outdoor recreational activities in groups of 10 people or fewer may occur, maintaining 6 feet Distancing Requirements between non-household contacts.

Read the full story here.

6:58 p.m. | New COVID-19 modeling data predicts Colorado will exceed April peak hospitalizations in a few months

New COVID-19 modeling data predicts the state of Colorado will exceed the April peak in hospitalizations within the next few months if Coloradans don’t act quickly to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The projection, which was released Friday evening by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Colorado School of Public Health, warned the window to improve transmission control of the virus should happen over the next several weeks, otherwise we would see a stress in critical care capacity across the state.

Read the full story here.

4 p.m. | State's 7-day average positivity rate inching closer to 6% as coronavirus cases remain above 1,000

The percentage of tests that have come back positive for the novel coronavirus over the past week was 5.81% Friday - nearly a percentage point above what federal, state and local health officials say is recommended to curb the spread of the coronavirus and suggests that the state is missing significant numbers of infections within the community. The state also reported another its second straight day with over 1,300 cases. Here are the latest numbers from the CDPHE:

91,572 cases (+1,350)
8,557 hospitalized (+79)
64 counties (+0)
1,124,409 people tested (+10,610)
1,790,404 test encounters (25,756)
2,211 deaths among cases (+13)
2,076 deaths due to COVID-19 (+6)
1,043 outbreaks (+15)

The latest hospital data shows 550 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – 3 more than Thursday with 69 patients discharged or transferred from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 83% of state hospitals reporting. Thursday's three-day average positivity rate in Colorado was 6.08%. The seven-day average positivity rate was 5.84%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.

GRAPH: COVID-19 hospital beds in use as of October 23, 2020

Click here to explore the latest COVID-19 case data for Colorado.

2:30 p.m. | Boulder issues quarantine order for fraternity properties

The city of Boulder has issued a mandatory quarantine order for residents of nine off-campus properties, most of them associated with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Kappa Sigma fraternities, officials said Friday.

The residents have shown a "blatant disregard of public health orders" related to COVID-19, according to a city news release.

"Their behavior jeopardizes not only their lives, but also the lives and livelihoods of their neighbors and the rest of the Boulder community," city manager Jane Brautigam said.

The addresses under quarantine are:

• 1100 Pennsylvania Ave.

  • 1142 11th St.
  • 951 Pennsylvania Ave.
  • 1037 12th St.
  • 1031 14th St.
  • 1033 14th St.
  • 1045 14th St.
  • 1059 14th St.
  • 510 S. 44th St.

Residents at those properties must stay home for the next two weeks, other than attending in-person classes or athletics training, officials said. The can also leave home for work, food, medicine or other essential supplies and to vote.

If they violate the order, they could face up to 90 days in jail and up to a $1,000 fine.

12:55 p.m. | Amended order limits gatherings in Colorado Safer at Home counties to 10 people or fewer people

Personal gatherings will be limited to 10 people or less from no more than two different households in the Colorado counties in any of the Safer at Home levels after the state public health department amended the Safer at Home public health order Friday.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said the new change comes as the result of the continued increase in hospitalizations due to the coronavirus in the state.

As of Thursday, there were 547 confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients in Colorado hospitals and the seven-day average positivity rate was 5.8% – both figures among the highest seen here in months.

The 446 confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized was the most in Colorado since May 21.

The CDPHE said Friday that case investigation data showed that exposures have become more common since this summer at social gatherings, which it said “suggests people have relaxed their precautions and are interacting more closely with a greater number of households.”

The amended order limiting gatherings to 10 people or less from at most two different households will not apply to the five counties currently in the Protect Our Neighbors phase of the COVID-19 dial: Moffat, Rio Blanco, Mesa, Gunnison and Gilpin counties, as of Friday afternoon. The CDPHE said that local governments there can still determine gathering limits.

The statewide order comes on the heels of similar gathering restrictions put in place over the past week or two in several counties, including Denver, Arapahoe, Adams and Boulder. In Denver, gatherings are limited to five or fewer people.

“We are asking all Coloradans to act with an abundance of caution to reverse these worrying trends. Right now, the virus is spreading when people from multiple households attend gatherings,” said CDPHE Executive Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan in a statement. “We need to keep gatherings smaller and with people from fewer households — we are asking everyone to ‘shrink their bubble’ to reduce the spread."

Click here to read the full story.

Thursday, Oct. 22

8:44 p.m. | Aurora Public Schools reverses course, will move most students in grades 1-8 back to remote learning

Most students in grades 1-8 will transition back to remote learning due to a concerning increase in the rate of COVID-19 infections within the city, Aurora Public Schools said in a letter to parents, teachers and staff Thursday evening.

The announcement from the district comes just three days after APS told thousands of parents their high school kids would have to continue learning remotely until at least mid-November due to the rising number of cases of the novel coronavirus being reported in Aurora.

The transition back to full remote learning for most students in grades 1-8 will start Monday, Oct. 26, the district said.

Read the full story here.

4 p.m. | Colorado reports nearly 1,400 cases of the novel coronavirus in a single day

Colorado reported nearly 1,400 positive cases of the novel coronavirus in a single day, the highest number reported since the pandemic arrived to Colorado on March 5. Hospitalizations from confirmed COVID-19 cases also increased to 446, a number not seen since May 21. Here are the latest updates from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

90,222 cases (+1,373)
8,478 hospitalized (+98)
64 counties (+0)
1,113,799 people tested (+9,847)
1,764,648 test encounters (+22,065)
2,198 deaths among cases (+4)
2,070 deaths due to COVID-19 (+4)
1,028 outbreaks (+17)

The latest hospital data shows 547 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – 15 more than Wednesday with 42 patients discharged or transferred from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 89% of state hospitals reporting. Wednesday's three-day average positivity rate in Colorado was 6.23%. The seven-day average positivity rate was 5.81%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.

GRAPH: COVID-19 hospital beds in use as of October 22, 2020

Click here to explore the latest COVID-19 case data for Colorado.

11 a.m. |Colorado launching exposure notification system this weekend

A voluntary exposure notification system will launch in Colorado on Sunday for iPhone and Android users, and state officials on Thursday explained how the mobile system will work.

Coloradans will receive a notification about the system on their phone, asking them to opt-in. The service is designed to alert someone if they've been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

Officials said the system will be private and won't attach a name to someone's account, instead working through non-identifiable Bluetooth tokens.

When two people with the system are near each other, their phones will exchange the tokens. If one person ends up testing positive for COVID-19, they'll enter into the mobile system that they tested positive. The person or persons they were recently near will then receive a notification that they had been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

The person who receives the exposure notification won't know who they were exposed to, but they will know when they were exposed.

State health officials Thursday said a 15% participation in the notification system could lead to an 8% reduction in infections and a 6% reduction in deaths.

Go here for more information from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment about the notification system.

7:40 a.m. | Unemployment claims filed in Colorado last week

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment reported that 5,735 regular initial unemployment claims were filed throughout the week ending on Oct. 17. There were also 2,973 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims filed for the same week.

Since mid-March, a total of 581,334 regular unemployment initial claims have been filed. A grand total of 751,602 claims were filed, including federal PUA benefits.

For the week ending Oct. 10, a combined total of 217,974 continued claims were filed, including 111,129 from regular UI, 67,234 from PUA, and 39,611 from Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.

6:45 a.m. | Unemployment numbers in the U.S.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 787,000, a sign that job losses may have eased slightly but are still running at historically high levels. Click here to read the story.

Wednesday, Oct. 21

4:45 p.m. | Aurora re-opening Aurora Sports Park testing center

Aurora is re-opening a community testing site at the Aurora Sports Park next week.

The drive-through testing center will be open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., through Nov. 5. The testing will be free and anyone who wants to be tested and get tested — no appointment or doctor referral will be needed.

The site initially opened in August in an effort to expand free, easy-access testing in Aurora. The center later closed as both Aurora and Denver officials decided to focus more on smaller community testing sites.

Denver officials have not said if the Pepsi Center testing site plans to re-open.

Aurora also plans to expand rapid testing availability at the Restoration Community Fellowship, 15660 E. Sixth Ave., where testing will be offered Mondays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., beginning Oct. 30.

Go here for more informationabout testing in Arapahoe County.

4 p.m. | Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 continue to rise in Colorado

Hospitalizations continue to rise with 532 beds currently in use by someone confirmed to have COVID-19 or suspected of having the virus. Colorado saw another day of more than 1,000 confirmed positive cases Wednesday.

88,849 cases (+1,267)
8,380 hospitalized (+48)
64 counties (+0)
1,103,952 people tested (+8,231)
1,742,583 test encounters (+18,545)
2,194 deaths among cases (+12)
2,066 deaths due to COVID-19 (+6)
1,011 outbreaks (+40)

The state's seven-day average positivity rate continued to rise, though marginally, to 5.68% The state's goal is to remain below 5%.

GRAPH: COVID-19 hospital beds in use as of October 21, 2020

3 p.m. | Roaring Fork Schools will return to in-person learning Nov. 4

Roaring Fork Schools will return to in-person learning Nov. 4, two days after their originally planned return to a hybrid model.

The district decided to table the hybrid model plan of having approximately half the students in the building on alternating days after what they referred to as "a preponderance of evidence that reducing the number of students in school buildings does not significantly change the risk of contracting Covid." They said research done on many high schools has shown there is no difference in the number of students or adults contracting the virus under the in-person or hybrid model.

Roaring Forks Schools also said hybrid model would cut the amount of time teachers spend with students in half, disrupt the flow of teaching and learning, create more social isolation and increase psychological distress. The hybrid model offers no discernible health benefits and only creates more transitions and adjustments for students and teachers craving continuity, according to the district.

There will be no live classes Nov. 2-3 to allow teachers to prepare. Students will be given assignments to do independently at home and the opportunity to review procedures necessary for returning to in-person learning. Students and parents can expect some adjustments, including scheduling changes, bus capacity, distance learning and off-campus privileges.

All high school parents are asked to fill out this form to inform schools if their children will be returning in-person or continuing distance learning. The district is also exploring creating a separate online school program as a district program for the second semester.

2:15 p.m. | Douglas County offering financial assistance for people impacted by COVID-19

Douglas County is accepting applications to assist people who have been financially impacted by COVID-19.

The money, which comes from temporary additional funding from the CARES Act, could help Douglas County residents struggling to pay for housing, transportation, utilities, food or medications.

Applications are being accepted until Dec. 15. Qualified applicants must demonstrate their needs are a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit here to apply for the assistance.

12:30 p.m. | Colorado Gov. Polis orders statewide eviction moratorium for those who can prove COVID-19 hardship

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday reinstated a moratorium on evictions less than a week after he banned late fees for renters.

Polis hinted in a news last week that he would extend the eviction moratorium as part of the final implementation of the 10-member Special Eviction Prevention Task Force’s recommendations. The governor had put a moratorium in place when the pandemic hit this spring but allowed it to lapse in June.

"We must take additional steps to provide relief to Colorado renters and small businesses,” Polis said in a statement Wednesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in early September issued a nationwide eviction moratorium through the end of the year for people who could not pay rent because of the pandemic, but judges can determine on a case-by-case basis whether certain tenants are protected by the national moratorium.

In Colorado, advocates have called for Polis to reinstate a statewide moratorium on top of the national one to further protect people facing evictions or who cannot pay their full rent because of job or hour loss caused by COVID-19. The statewide unemployment rate was 6.4% in September – double what it was before the pandemic, the state announced Tuesday.

The Special Eviction Prevention Task Force recommended in September the governor require landlords in Colorado provide notice of the CDC moratorium and a declaration form with rent demands before starting the eviction process.

The task force’s report, issued last week, said that the CDC moratorium would not prevent up to 25,000 households from “likely … moving through the eviction process beginning in January 2021” based on eviction trends from October through December of last year, as well as trends from March through September of this year.

All members of the task force supported noticing of the CDC moratorium, which was made in late September. And most of the task force members, save for three, supported Polis enacting a statewide eviction moratorium that would cover leases that end by the end of 2020, month-to-month leases, and lease violations deemed “non-substantial” by the state.

According to Gov. Polis’ Wednesday executive order, landlords will not be able to start the eviction process against people who can demonstrate they are experiencing “financial hardship due to COVID-19.”

That means, according to the order, that a person is using their “best efforts to obtain government assistance for rent or housing,” that they expect to personally make less than $99,000 as an individual or $198,000 as a household in 2020; that a person is unable to pay their full rent because of loss of income, hours or out-of-pocket medical expenses; that they are doing their “best efforts” to make timely partial rent payments and that they face a threat of becoming homeless with no other options.

It applies to long-term leases and month-to-month leases, but still allows for people to be evicted if they pose an “imminent and serious threat to another individual” or if they cause significant damage to their landlord’s property — an assessment that would be performed by a judge.

Per the executive order, the state Department of Local Affairs is directed to create a form that people will have to fill out to demonstrate financial hardship under the threat of perjury.

Click here to read the full story.

Tuesday, Oct. 20

5:51 p.m. | Tri-County Health Department extends mask mandate for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic

The 1.5 million residents in Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties served by the Tri-County Health Department will be required to wear a face mask or covering in indoor as well as outdoor public spaces whenever 6-foot distancing isn't maintained "for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, or until amended or rescinded," the TCHD said in a news release Tuesday.

TCHD said no other charges were made to the order, which is set to expire on Oct. 22 at 11:59 p.m.

4 p.m. | Over 500 hospitalizations due to suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Colorado

Colorado reported over 500 hospitalizations due to suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Colorado, a number not seen since late May. The number of positive coronavirus tests also remained above 1,000 Tuesday, according to the latest numbers from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

87,582 cases (+1,208)
8,332 hospitalized (+84)
64 counties (+0)
1,095,721 tested (+6,279)
1,724,038 test encounters (+15,588)
2,182 deaths among cases (+2)
2,060 deaths due to COVID-19 (+9)
971 outbreaks (+16)

The latest hospital data shows 516 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients – 51 more than Monday with 61 patients discharged or transferred from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 88% of state hospitals reporting. Sunday's three-day average positivity rate in Colorado was 5.87%. The seven-day average positivity rate was 5.42%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.

GRAPH: COVID-19 hospital beds in use as of October 20, 2020

Click here to explore the latest COVID-19 case data for Colorado.

12:30 p.m. | Boulder County people ages 18-22 can now gather in groups larger than two

Boulder County Public Health says people ages 18-22 can now return to the same gathering sizes as all other Boulder County residents of 10 or fewer.
According to the department, the 14-day average positivity rate in the age group is 4.4% as of Monday. This comes as the state grapples with a positivity rate of over 5%, a key threshold health officials have warned would be too high in the state's efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus.
It's been almost a month since the health department issued a public health order limiting the age group from gathering in any capacity and required people who repeatedly violated the public health orders at 36 addresses to stay at their residences at all times. Within a few days, they modified the public health order to allow people ages 18-22 to gather in groups of two rather than no groups at all.

Read the full story here.

11:20 a.m. | DPS creates COVID-19 dashboard

Denver Public Schools announced on Tuesday that it created a Coronavirus Dashboard to track cases in the school system. The cases will include students, teachers and staff. It will include students working from home as they may use the schools for tutoring, sports or other activities.

The dashboard will be updated on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Click here to view the dashboard.

9:40 a.m. | Mesa County Carnival is canceled

Mesa County Fairgrounds opened its gates on Oct. 15 with plans to host a carnival through Oct. 25, but after an increase in local COVID-19 cases, Mesa County Public Health recommended canceling the carnival immediately.

“We are sorry to cancel this event, but the safety of our community is the top priority,” Fairgrounds Manager Kyle Carstens said. “We would like to thank our community for their support and understanding as we continue to navigate this ever-changing public health crisis.”

8 a.m. | Colorado's employment situation for September

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) said that according to the survey of households, Colorado’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased to 6.4% in September from 6.7% in August.

During the same period, the national unemployment rate declined half of a percentage point to 7.9%.

The CDLE said Colorado’s labor force grew by 59,600 in September to 3,147,400. The labor force participation rate rose by 1.2% points to 67.9%, but is still below the February ratio of 69.4%.

The number of Coloradans employed increased by 63,400 in September to 2,945,400, which represents 63.6% of the state’s population of people 16 years old and older. Colorado’s employment-to-population ratio continues to improve since April — when it was 58.3% — but it still falls well below the February level of 67.7%.

The Colorado counties with the highest unemployment rates in September were:

  • Huerfano: 8.3%
  • Summit: 8.1%
  • Gilpin: 7.9%
  • Pueblo: 7.5%
  • Denver: 7.4%

Fort Collins and Boulder Counties had the lowest rates at 5.2% and 5.3%, respectively.

County-level unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted and are directly comparable to Colorado’s September unadjusted rate of 6.2%.

Monday, Oct. 19

7:26 p.m. | Colorado releases finalized guidance for ski areas, resorts

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has released its finalized guidance for ski areas and resorts.

The guidance, which were finalized after the state reviewed feedback from the community and organizations from across the state, draw from existing and well-known guidelines aimed at mitigating the spread of the novel coronavirus.

• Physical distancing of at least 6 feet between parties.
• Wearing masks to the maximum extent possible.
• Health screening and symptom tracking.
• Isolating and quarantining, as required.

Some new baseline standards were also created for mountain-specific activities such as:

• Isolation housing to create opportunities for visiting guests to safely isolate and quarantine themselves in the event that they test positive or need to quarantine during their stay and cannot travel.
• Ensuring safe employee housing environments.
• Limiting ski school cohorts/groups to no more than 10 people.
• Prioritizing the immediate safety and sheltering needs of guests and staff due to extreme weather events when in conflict with these COVID-19 guidelines.

“Outdoor activities like skiing and snowboarding can be lower risk if done with proper precautions, both on and off the slopes,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director, CDPHE. “We have to proceed carefully and be willing to evolve if necessary. We’ve been grateful for the cooperation of ski and resort areas. Our top priority is the safety of Coloradans and ensuring the health care systems in these areas aren’t overrun.”

Read the full, finalized guidelines here.

4:44 p.m. | Aurora high school students to continue learning remotely until at least Nov. 13, district says

High school students in Aurora will continue learning remotely until at least Nov. 13, district officials said in a letter to parents, teachers and staff late Monday afternoon.

Students in Aurora were scheduled to return to in-person learning this week after the district’s Board of Education voted in late July to delay in-person learning for the first eight weeks of the new school year, but recently reviewed health data forced the district to make the decision to delay the start of in-person learning.

The district said it plans to make a decision about the following 20-day session by Monday, Nov. 9. If transition to in-person learning is possible, Aurora highschoolers will return to the classroom on Monday, Nov. 16.

Read the full story here.

4 p.m. | Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 reaching 400 as Colorado sees another day of 1,000+ cases

Hospitalizations due to confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus were reported at 381 on Monday, a number not seen since May 25. The state also reported another day of more than 1,000 positive cases in the last 24 hours. Here's the data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

86,374 cases (+1,072)
8,248 hospitalized (+21)
64 counties (+0)
1,089,442 tested (+9,284)
1,708,450 test encounters (+19,137)
2,180 deaths among cases (+4)
2,051 deaths due to COVID-19 (+9)
955 outbreaks (+9)

The latest hospital data 465 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients with 49 patients discharged or transferred from hospitals over the past 24 hours and 65% of state hospitals reporting. Sunday's three-day average positivity rate in Colorado was 5.49%. The seven-day average positivity rate was 5.45%. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.

3:02 p.m. | El Paso County warns of tighter restrictions if infection rate, hospitalizations aren't brought down

El Paso County Public Health officials warned Monday the county could see potential restrictions if the number of infections and hospitalization rates is brought down anytime soon.

County health officials said they currently have an incidence rate of 180.8 per 100,000 residents, a positivity rate of 4.93% over the past two weeks and increasing hospitalizations.

“We are urging our residents to take this spike seriously to help keep our community safe and to help us avoid increased restrictions that could negatively impact our economic recovery. While I realize we are all fatigued, this is not the time to let down our guards,” said Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers. “Please continue to show care and concern for our community by practicing responsible social distancing, wearing a mask, and washing your hands.”

El Paso County is currently under Level One of the Safer-at-Home scale in the COVID-19 Colorado dial.

"If these trends continue, we risk moving to a more restrictive level per CDPHE’s dial framework," county public health officials said.

Click here to read Denver7's coronavirus blog from Oct. 12-18.