Coronavirus: Larimer County may issue stay-at-home order if public doesn't heed guidance
Jacy MarmadukeWEDNESDAY 3/25, 3:30 P.M. UPDATE: Larimer County issues stay-at-home order to slow coronavirus pandemic in Northern Colorado
Larimer County Public Health Director Tom Gonzales begged residents to adhere to social distancing recommendations to "flatten the curve" of coronavirus infection and avoid the need for a stay-at-home order like those adopted in Denver and other areas.
Gonzales, along with Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell and City Manager Darin Atteberry, answered residents' coronavirus questions during a telephone town hall Monday night. The call lasted about an hour and covered topics including coronavirus testing, time-of-day electricity rates during the pandemic and the city's decision to keep parks and natural areas open.
In case you missed it, here are some highlights from the town hall.
Question: Denver Mayor Michael Hancock issued a stay-at-home order on Monday, following statewide orders in California, New York and Illinois. Will Larimer County issue a stay-at-home order?
Answer: Larimer County has the authority to issue a stay-at-home order, and officials are “having that conversation at the state level,” Gonzales said. A stay-at-home order would require residents to stay at home unless they’re performing essential activities like going to work or going to the grocery store. Gonzales said the county has been hearing complaints, some founded, that some people are flouting social distancing guidance.
“Residents, I’m pleading: You’ve got to follow strict social distancing and stay home if it’s not essential,” Gonzales said. “If I keep hearing that folks are not following our social distancing orders, that folks are not really staying home as we’re urging, then (county policy) may have to elevate. I’d rather not have to do that, because I believe most of our residents are trying to learn and keep 6 feet apart. But the only medical counter-measure is social distancing.”
Q: What are the metrics for success in social distancing? How will we know when it’s safe to resume normal life?
A: That’s tough to say, Gonzales said, although the scenario in other countries, like Italy, Germany and China, might be some indication. Because our bodies have no immunity to the virus and there’s no vaccine, this is a unique situation compared to something like the flu. It’s probably going to be a matter of months, but the goal now is to reduce the rate of cases because a surge of cases could strain our medical system.
Q: Some communities are shutting down public transit or closing parks. What are Fort Collins’ plans for those community resources?
A: Fort Collins leaders made a conscious decision to keep parks and natural areas open and keep bus routes in operation, Atteberry said. The state encourages outdoor physical activity during the pandemic, although state and local guidance suggests decreasing those excursions (if you run outside twice a week, make it once a week, and so on). City officials are asking people to maintain social distancing practices and stay at least 6 feet away from others. Atteberry said the parks and trails will likely remain open as long as people continue following those procedures.
For transit service, the city decided to keep Transfort in operation and suspend fares during the pandemic because some people rely on it to get to work, the grocery store, medical appointments and other essential services. Shutting down the system would “do more harm than good,” Atteberry said. Transfort is disinfecting driver and passenger areas of buses along with regular nightly cleaning.
Officials encourage the public to use Transfort only for essential trips, try to stay at least 6 feet away from others and board using the rear doors unless they're using mobility devices.
Story continues below.
Q: Will Fort Collins adjust time-of-day electricity rates to account for the fact that people are spending more time in their homes?
A: No, said Troxell and Atteberry, the city has no plans to modify the time-of-day rate structure that charges residents higher rates for electricity used during peak hours (5-9 p.m. on weekdays during the cooler months and 2-7 p.m. on weekdays during the warmer months). Troxell pointed out that a study of electricity bills under the new time-of-day rate structure found that about two-thirds of residents paid less for electricity on average between November 2018 and October 2019 than they would have under the former rate structure. (It’s important to note that electricity rates increased 5% between 2018 and 2019 independent of the change in rate structure, meaning the rate increase still might’ve driven higher electricity bills year-over-year.)
Troxell said the time-of-day rates could help people save money on electricity during the pandemic because many people are likely to be home more often during the off-peak hours, when the price of electricity is about 70% lower than the peak-hour price.
Q: We know how many people have tested positive for coronavirus in Larimer County, but how many tests have been performed?
A: We don’t know how many individuals have been tested in Larimer County, Gonzales said. According to information released Tuesday, there are 42 confirmed cases here, although health officials say the true number is likely significantly higher.
“I can’t give you a denominator as your public health director, and that’s very tough because that’s so important when we’re talking epidemiology or study of disease,” he said.
Testing is “extremely backlogged” statewide, so testing results are perpetually delayed. As of late last week, the state lab conducting testing could process only about 250 samples daily, and the backlog sat at about 1,500 tests. Gonzales said he’s hoping to work with the state to create a testing site at Colorado State University, which would greatly increase officials’ ability to gauge the number of completed and positive tests.
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Jacy Marmaduke covers government accountability for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter @jacymarmaduke. Support stories like this one by purchasing a digital subscription to the Coloradoan.