Pueblo County moving to further COVID-19 restrictions

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment says that Pueblo County is pending a move to a "more restrictive level" of COVID-19 restrictions, and that move could come by the end of the week.

Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar and the Pueblo Public Health Department got a notice from CDPHE of a pending move to a more restrictive level on the COVID-19 dial due to a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in Pueblo County, according to a statement released Tuesday. The county is currently at Level 2, and it could be moved into Level 3 or Stay at Home orders.

If the county moves to Level 3, many businesses will see significantly reduced capacities. Click here to see a comparison between the different levels of restrictions.

According to the state, the two-week incidence rate in Pueblo County is among the highest in the state, at 787.6 cases per 100,000 people. The number of positive cases has also doubled in the past two weeks, going from 1,880 on Oct. 27 to 3,453 as of Nov. 10.

Pueblo Public Health Director Randy Evetts said it's up to residents in the county to change behaviors by wearing face coverings around non-household contacts and staying away from social gatherings.

“There are a lot of people positive for COVID in the community, many of whom are asymptomatic. Ultimately, individual behaviors are the only way to reverse the trend before things get critical," Evetts said.

Pueblo County offers drive-thru COVID-19 testing at the Colorado State Fairgrounds near Mesa and Gaylord avenues. It's open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., as well as this coming Saturday.