Colorado's New Coronavirus Dial: How Denver Rates

DENVER, CO — Colorado public health officials have established a coronavirus dial for each county that shows different levels of 'openness.' The framework is modeled after the state's fire risk dials, Gov. Jared Polis said.

Each dial has five levels based on three metrics: the number of new cases, the percent positivity of COVID-19 tests and the impact on hospitals. As the dial moves left, toward Protect Our Neighbors, more people can participate in various activities, public health officials said.

To move to a less restrictive level (e.g., Level 2 to Level 1), counties need to meet and sustain all three metrics for two weeks:

1. New cases: How much the virus is circulating in a county.
2. Percent positivity: Whether there is sufficient COVID-19 testing to capture the level of virus transmission.
3. Impact on hospitalizations: Whether hospitalizations are increasing, stable or declining.

Counties were assigned levels Sept. 15 based on their capacity limitations from approved variances. On Sept. 29, counties can request a new level designation.

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Denver's dial:

To enter the 'Protect Our Neighbors' phase, a county needs to be able to contain surges in cases and outbreaks through testing, case investigation, contact tracing, isolation, quarantine, site-specific closures and enforcement of public health orders:

• Sufficient hospital bed capacity
• Sufficient personal protective equipment supply
• Stable or declining COVID-19 hospitalizations
• Sufficient testing capacity
• Fewer new cases
• Ability to implement case investigation and contact tracing protocol
• Documented surge-capacity plan for case investigation and contact tracing
• Documented strategies to offer testing to close contacts

>> Learn more about the dial framework here.