SAN MIGUEL COUNTY: A letter to our community From the Board of County Commissioners and the Board of Health

By Press release submission

Dec 21, 2020

San Miguel County issued the following announcement on Dec. 18.

As we enter the darkest days of the year, it's time to treasure the memories of the vacations of the past and know that after this pandemic, we can once again experience the traditional joys of the holidays with family and friends. While we understand how challenging it is, we ask that everyone in San Miguel County increase your diligence in keeping yourself, your families, and your neighbors safe and healthy this holiday season. Currently, the COVID-19 numbers in our county are some of the highest in Colorado. As a state, Colorado was able to increase broadcast controls such as wearing masks and social distancing during Thanksgiving. As a county, however, our numbers continue to grow with no signs of slowing down, putting us in a precarious position as we head into the upcoming holidays. As the County Board of Health, in consultation with our director of public health, Colorado State officials, and our local team of expert advisers, we have determined that the safest course for our community is to align with the State's direction to maintain Red Tier restrictions - Severe Hazard until our county's numbers are steadily decreasing for at least two weeks.

We understand that this is painful for our businesses and our residents. However, we made this decision based on clear evidence from across the state and across the country that staying home and meeting only your immediate family is the best way to lower infection rates. By doing so, we can reduce restrictions more quickly. Based on these facts, we believe that by maintaining current capacity restrictions and eliminating gatherings outside of our homes over the next several weeks we can have a more successful January, February, and March. By taking these actions now, we hope to enhance our opportunity to keep our local businesses and ski area open all winter.

As a county, we took quick action when the pandemic first hit. As one of the first counties to issue a stay-at-home order, we kept our numbers low. By the summer, we were able to slowly reopen and many of our businesses had a successful season despite the pandemic. We also know that many businesses and residents continue to struggle. We have worked diligently with the state and our community partners to bring much-needed assistance to those in need. Our food banks remained stocked, and non-profit community organizations and donors joined in generously. The county and towns stretched their budgets and were able to secure nearly $ 5 million in grants, of which approximately $ 4 million goes to our small businesses. Throughout Colorado, this is the largest distribution to residents per capita. If we stay diligent, we are confident that we can all survive the darkest weeks of this pandemic and emerge as the days drag on in a better position to stay open until we see the end.

United States exceeded 300,000 deaths from COVID-19. At this time, many of us have been personally affected by the death of a family member, friend, or known person due to COVID-19. In San Miguel County, Public Health Director Grace Franklin and her team of local public health heroes have worked non-stop since March to provide ongoing guidance. Through the combination of public health policies, your actions, and luck, our COVID-19 deaths remain at zero - so far. However, we mourn the passing of beloved community members from other causes and encourage everyone to check in with their friends and family as much as possible.

We continue to strive to find that delicate balance between public health and our local economy. We use data collected locally. We consult with local experts and stakeholders, neighboring counties, and our partners in the state to make the most informed decisions possible. We are deeply humbled by all the sacrifices many of you have made and continue to make to help us all be safe.

Finally, we ask that each of you, residents and visitors alike, find your own way to shed some light in the weeks ahead. Please shop locally, order take out or delivery, help a neighbor, and host the outdoor parties with friends and family. Wear a mask when you are 6 feet away from others or in public spaces. Although our timeline is still uncertain, we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.

As your Board of Health, we are committed to continuing to prioritize public health with the needs of our local economy in mind, using the best information available to us. During these dark days, we ask that we all prioritize compassion as we work to protect members of our community.

Public Health has confirmed 13 new positive cases of COVID-19 from the test results received on December 16 and 17. Of these cases, all 13 are residents and all actively contagious cases are currently in isolation. There have been a total of 357 COVID cases among residents to date with 43 active cases. To learn more about the county's current COVID-19 measurements, please visit the county's COVID-19 dashboard.

60-year-old male, no additional information is available at this time

60-year-old man, resident, symptomatic, from the community

42-year-old female, resident, symptomatic, community

40-year-old male, resident, symptomatic, workplace

39-year-old female, resident, asymptomatic, community

37-year-old male, resident, asymptomatic, homelike

33-year-old female, resident, no symptom information available at this time, household

28-year-old man, resident, symptomatic, social

25-year-old female, resident, symptomatic, community

24-year-old female, resident, symptomatic, workplace

16-year-old woman, resident, symptomatic, social

12-year-old female, resident, symptomatic, social