The following information comes from Christine Billings, Head of the Jefferson County Public Health Office of Pandemic Response.

To our Jeffco Community: 

We know it’s been a long road and, trust me, we are tired of COVID-19, too. But we have to talk about our path forward. 

Here are the facts. Our two week case count is the highest it has ever been since the start of this whole thing (853 cases from Sept. 28 to Oct. 11). Hospitalizations and deaths are rising, too. We hoped things would start improving after the Labor Day spike like we saw following similar holiday weekends, but our trends have continued to move in the wrong direction. Our case investigators tell us that many of these new cases come from social gatherings, like backyard parties and get-togethers. 

We have a choice in what our next few months look like. If we can come together and stay focused on the 3 Ws, and avoid gatherings as much as possible, we can keep our community open and on the path to recovery we are all so desperate for. On the other hand, if case counts continue to increase, we risk going backwards — we could lose our local variance and be moved to Level 3 - High Risk of the state’s dial framework. That could mean lower capacity limits for restaurants, gyms, offices, events and more. None of us want that.

So let’s make a choice to take back control of our path ahead. You know the drill — wear a mask, watch your distance and wash your hands. Do it for yourself and for your loved ones, and for all of our fellow Jeffco neighbors who want to get back to something more like normal. Let’s curb this spike and go into the holiday season with health, hope and happiness.