Metro Denver Moves To 'Level Yellow' Under Dial 2.0: What To Know

Many Colorado counties will shift Saturday from Level Orange to Level Yellow on the state's updated 'Dial 2.0,' public health officials announced Friday.

The decision to update the dial was made as Coloradans ages 70 and older continue to receive vaccines, officials said. Coronavirus positivity rates have also been dropping across the state, the latest data shows.

Under Dial 2.0, counties are allowed more lenient incidence rates, which is why many counties are able to shift to Level Yellow at 9 a.m. Saturday. Incident rates track new cases per 100,000 people.

The state received more than 1,500 comments on the proposed Dial 2.0 during a public feedback period, Gov. Jared Polis said. The dial was updated in an effort to "better balance disease suppression with economic hardship," officials said.

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Here's a look at what's expected to change for businesses Friday in metro Denver counties:

School settings do not change in Dial 2.0, officials said.

Five-star businesses are still allowed to operate one level lower on the dial, except they cannot operate in Protect Our Neighbors unless the county is formally in Protect Our Neighbors, officials said.

Counties in Level Yellow with a 5 Star Business Program can only operate in Blue once 70 percent of 70-year-olds are vaccinated with at least one dose.

Instead of looking at the numbers over a 14-day period, Dial 2.0 will consider metrics within a 7-day period, officials said.

“Dial 2.0 is designed so that counties can swiftly move into more restrictive levels when their numbers go up, and more quickly into recovery when their numbers go down,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

“Input from our partners helped us tailor the new dial to best serve the needs of Coloradans at the local level. Since the dial’s last major change in November, Colorado has begun distributing COVID-19 vaccines throughout the state. More people now have immunity to COVID-19, including people over 70 and frontline health care workers. This relieves the strain on our hospital system.”