COVID restrictions finish line is now in sight

Memorial Day gatherings could be totally legal!

[ By Mark Reaman ]

Gunnison County is on track to hit the “Green” level of public health restrictions by Memorial Day when more than 10,000 residents should be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. That will mean most restrictions will be eliminated with the exception of the county mask mandate imposed when someone is in a crowded space, but that should go away by the end of June.

According to Gunnison County public information officer Loren Ahonen, as of the beginning of this week there were 8,580 fully vaccinated county residents. “Additionally, we have delivered 10,130 first doses to Gunnison County residents which puts us on track to meet the 10,000 fully vaccinated target. That will likely come by the end of the month if people follow through with their second dose,” he said.

The milestone was achieved this past weekend when walk-in clinics were held in both Gunnison and Crested Butte to distribute vaccinations. More than 310 doses of the vaccine were put into arms in Gunnison. Some of those were second shots. While many of the people who showed up were scheduled, about 115 were walk-ins.

“The Crested Butte clinic was substantially smaller, but we got folks vaccinated and that’s the end goal,” said Ahonen. “There were approximately 40 people who came and received a dose at the Saturday walk-in clinic in CB.”

Ahonen emphasized that the 10,000-person milestone is actually official when folks have completed their full vaccination cycle (one dose of J&J or two doses of Pfizer/Moderna) to be considered ‘Fully Vaccinated.’ Ahonen said everyone is strongly encouraged to finish what they’ve started and get their second dose.

“As the public health order and county’s Coronameter indicator guidelines read, reaching 10,000 fully vaccinated individuals allows us to move to ‘Green’ level on the Coronameter,” explained Ahonen. “Green represents a significant milestone in the community and allows businesses, non-profits and other entities to return to normal business operations. However, as written, the Gunnison County Public Health order will continue to require facial coverings in public settings or where social distancing cannot be maintained until the sunset date at the end of June.”

According to Colorado data, the current Gunnison County incidence rate is similar to San Miguel, Routt, Eagle and Summit County but substantially lower than La Plata County. Those are Colorado counties that also include ski resorts. “In the last week we have only had six positive results, which continues a downward trend across the month of April,” Ahonen said. “That is great and if everyone who has one dose gets the second one on schedule, we will be in truly fantastic shape.”

In other words, we are close to returning to a normal situation where people can rub elbows without masks. There is a really good chance your Memorial Day party might feel like an actual party!