Mesa County Public Health (MCPH) is now operating under the latest dial update from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE): Dial 3.0. The update removes many of the restrictions that previously applied at Level Green and Level Blue. Mesa County remains in Level Blue, Cautious. The main changes in Level Blue are:
- Restaurants and Bars that serve food may operate at 100% capacity with 6 feet distancing, last call has been amended to 2 a.m.
- Recreation, including gyms, may operate at 100% capacity with 6 feet distancing.
- Retail, offices, and non-critical manufacturing may now open to 75% capacity.
- Bars without a retail food license may operate at 25% capacity or 75 people, whichever is fewer.
- There is no longer a state limit on personal gathering sizes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still strongly recommends avoiding larger gatherings and crowds to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- Read the full summary of changes.
State officials expect the updated dial public health order to remain in effect until mid-April, at which point the state plans to retire the dial and implement a new public health order giving more control over capacity restrictions to local public health agencies. MCPH feels confident that by Mid-April, the COVID-19 vaccine will have been offered to every Mesa County resident 16+, allowing businesses to safely open with even fewer restrictions than Dial 3.0 allows.
Metrics and timelines for when a county is allowed to change levels remain; measures related to percent positivity, incidence rate, and hospitalizations must remain at the new level for at least one week.
The updated dial does not change Colorado’s current statewide mask mandate. Separate from the dial changes, the current mask Executive Order expires April 3. At that time, the Governor may choose to make modifications.
Changes to Mesa County’s dial or reopening status are posted to the MCPH website.