Colorado limits in-person gatherings to 10 people

COLORADO (KRDO) -- In response to the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis' office issued an amendment to the state's public health order limiting the number of people who can attend personal gatherings.

The new order, announced by the state on Friday, limits personal gatherings to 10 people. The order also says groups can't have people from more than two households.

Most of the state had previously been limited to personal gatherings of 25 people.

This comes amid another spike of coronavirus cases in the state in recent weeks. El Paso County has also seen cases grow significantly, and Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers attributed the growth to informal gatherings of people not wearing masks or utilizing social distancing techniques, along with "workplaces where workers have gotten lax in observing health protocols."

“We are asking all Coloradans to act with an abundance of caution to reverse these worrying trends. Right now, the virus is spreading when people from multiple households attend gatherings. We need to keep gatherings smaller and with people from fewer households — we are asking everyone to ‘shrink their bubble’ to reduce the spread,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director, CDPHE.

Counties that are currently in the "Protect Our Neighbors" level of coronavirus restrictions are exempt from the amended public health order. That includes Gilpin, Gunnison, Moffat, Rio Blanco counties.

As of Friday, there have been 90,222 positive COVID-19 cases in the state, and 2,070 people have died due to the virus, according to the state.