Jeffco Calls On Polis To Take Statewide Action Against COVID-19

JEFFERSON COUNTY, CO — The Jefferson County Board of Health is calling for statewide action to combat Colorado's sustained COVID-19 surge in cases and hospitalizations. The agency sent a letter Thursday to Gov. Jared Polis. The county is looking at reinstating its indoor mask mandate, which could come as early as Monday.

The COVID-19 surge is "creating serious challenges for the state’s hospital system and putting residents at unnecessary risk for illness, hospitalization and death from the virus," Jeffco public health officials said in a news release.

As of Monday, more than 100 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county, officials said. On average, more than one COVID-19 death has been recorded among county residents per day since July 9, and 16 people died between Nov. 8 and Nov. 15, Jeffco data shows. More than 92 percent of ICU hospital beds are in use in the Denver metro area.

“The continuing rapid proliferation of COVID-19 and Delta variant cases within our state and county continues to be of grave concern,” said Greg Deranleau, president of the Jefferson County Board of Health.

“Despite extraordinary work from local public health organizations, impressive vaccination uptake and provision of boosters to any adult in the state, Colorado’s hospital capacity has been compromised to the point of medical care rationing. Our number one priority as the Board of Health is to promote and protect the health of our residents, and we will continue to take action to address this surge in Jeffco, but we strongly believe a consistent statewide approach is the best way to reduce the spread of this virus in a meaningful way.”

Patch reached out to the governor's office for a response but did not immediately hear back.

Don’t miss the latest news updates in Arvada, Lakewood and Littleton. Sign up for free Patch news alerts and newsletters for what you need to know daily.

The letter calls on the governor to take the following statewide actions to control the spread of COVID-19:

• Following the guidelines of the CDC, implement a temporary executive order requiring face coverings in all indoor public spaces for everyone ages 2 and older, regardless of vaccination status, in the spirit of the previously enacted statewide mask order. "Masking has been shown to be an effective measure to curb the spread of COVID-19, including the Delta variant," Jeffco's news release read. "This is extremely important given the upcoming holiday seasons where both local and out of state families and friends will gather for indoor activities." The Board of Health also requested the flexibility for local jurisdictions to implement mitigation procedures in certain settings, such as a vaccination passport program, in lieu of universal masking requirements.
• Engage in and prioritize a stakeholder process to discuss and implement innovative ways to increase our statewide vaccination rate.

“We are committed to doing our part to help control the virus in Jefferson County, and like other public health leaders — including the Metro Denver Partnership for Health, the Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials and individual local public health agencies — request the Governor to take immediate statewide action," Deranleau said.

"We have been successful in mitigating surges before when we all work together."

>> Read Jeffco's full letter to the governor here.