Pitkin County moved to "Red Level" restrictions Tuesday after exponential increases in local rates of coronavirus. Under the new rules, personal gatherings can only happen with people in the same household, offices and gyms are capped at 10% capacity and restaurants are limited to 25%. Last call is at 9:30 p.m. and they must close at 10 p.m.
Indoor events are not allowed as of Tuesday, but outdoor events can still happen as long as they are capped at 25% capacity, or 60 people. The traveler affidavit remains in effect for all people traveling, including residents, if they have been gone from Pitkin County for more than 10 days. As of Monday afternoon, 8,617 submitted filled-out forms.
The county's disease investigation team has logged 162 new cases in the last seven days. Half of Pitkin County’s COVID-19 cases since March were reported in the last month, with 20% reported in just the past seven days. Health leaders in the county have said it has one of the highest incident rates on the Western Slope.
“These red level restrictions with capacity for restaurants to still operate is what we need – everything we can do outside of a total shutdown,” said Torre, City of Aspen Mayor in a news release. “If each one of us does our part, we can be successful to slow disease transmission in our community.”
The City of Aspen also announced New Years Eve fireworks are cancelled this year. Officials said fireworks would encourage gathering in groups, which is no longer allowed.
