Prowers County, “Feeling Blue and Liking It”

Prowers County is now operating at the Blue Level regarding the numbers of persons who may congregate at businesses or attend community or retail operations. The County managed to lower the number of related COVID-19 cases to a level in which the county made the official switch from Yellow to Blue Level as of 6am, Saturday, February 20^th.   Over the past several months the county has made continued gains in a decrease in Covid cases, moving from Orange to Yellow and now Blue. The specific changes are available on the state health website, covid19.colorado.gov.The changes include Indoor Events:

50% capacity or 225 people, whichever is fewer and this includes high school sports spectators, according to the Prowers County Department of Public Health and Environment. School districts, however, will make the determination for their own operations.

Outdoor Events:

50% capacity or 250 people, whichever is fewer.

Social distancing is still important as well as the basic hygienic safeguards which include mask wearing and hand washing procedures.

The Prowers County Positivity Rate declined to 2.36%, down from 7.02% last week. The overall goal is 5% or less. There have been 1,159 COVID-19 cases with 64 hospitalizations and 22 deaths reported in the county. The 30-39 age group has the largest number of cases at 180, followed by 60-69 years at just over 160. There are sixty cases for those under 10 years and 70 cases for those eighty years old and above. There have been 25 cases reported in the county over the past 14 days from February 17^th.

The next Level goal is green which will move the county from a Caution rating to Protect Our Neighbors. The governor’s thirty-day mask mandate remains in effect.

By Russ Baldwin