Eagle County to adopt Colorado’s COVID-19 dial dashboard

Eagle County on Wednesday announced it’s adopting the state of Colorado’s COVID-19 dial dashboard. Here’s that press release:

Eagle County’s Department of Public Health and Environment (ECPHE) will adopt Colorado’s statewide COVID-19 dial dashboard over the next two weeks. ECPHE worked closely with the state’s health department and the Governor’s Office to develop the comprehensive dial, which was released on Sept. 15 and includes a risk assessment for each of the state’s 64 counties. It is meant to create consistency for expectations and goals among counties, while allowing a measure of local control in tailoring public health policies.

The dial dashboard relies on three key metrics, including disease incidence rate, percentage of countywide COVID-19 tests that come back positive, and the number of hospitalizations for COVID-19, to generate a color-coded risk assessment. Each level further determines the activities and capacity limits based on the risk within each county.

The state created the following resources about the dial:
– COVID Dial Fact Sheet
– COVID Dial Policy Framework
– COVID Dial Webpage

Eagle County will start at the Safer at Home Level 2, Concerned.  The metrics for the county have been stable over the past few weeks and if they can be maintained for two more weeks, Eagle County could qualify for the Safer at Home Level 1, which can increase capacities for some indoor and outdoor settings. 

“Consistent tracking of disease trends and subsequent messaging to the community is always a priority,” said Heath Harmon, Director of ECPHE. “This is true with disease monitoring as well as with guidance for events, organized sports, dining, shopping and other activities outside the home. We have seen clearly that when the messaging is inconsistent between communities, this inevitably leads to confusion and frustration. Our intention in adopting the statewide dial dashboard is to eliminate these problems.”

Eagle County will be working over the next two weeks to implement the new state dial and replace its existing COVID-19 Risk Meter. This will include collaborating with local partners to ensure there is a clear understanding of what the new dial will mean and the activities the community can expect by level.

School protocols have proven effective and have not led to an increase in COVID-19 spread. However, officials say private social gatherings that took place during the Labor Day weekend where masking and distancing were not implemented have contributed to increased spread in the community. 

ECPHE is reminding community members that regardless of how the state’s risk assessment of the county fluctuates, prevention measures will not change. Following the 5 Commitments of Containment will continue to be the simplest, most effective strategy for preventing disease spread.   

Regular updates on the county’s response to COVID-19 are being shared at www.ECEmergency.org. The county’s forum for community discussions is at www.facebook.com/OneValleyVoice. Those with additional questions can email covidquestions@eaglecounty.us or call 970-328-9750.