Thanks for subscribing! You are receiving this message because you have signed up for the City of Fort Collins COVID-19 Update. Updates will be published on Wednesdays unless there are urgent updates to share. 

Dear friends, neighbors and colleagues - 

Last week Governor Polis issued a mandatory mask order for the entire state. This new order closely follows the one that has been in place in Fort Collins, and we are evaluating the few differences to determine where we can align. Regardless of the specifics of one order or another, the important thing is to wear a mask or other cloth face covering whenever you are in a public, indoor space or outdoors when physical distance is not easy to maintain. We have seen case counts and hospitalizations begin to creep upward in Larimer County, putting both lives and our county variance at risk. The simplest, most effective thing we can each do to protect our neighbors’ health and keep our local businesses open is to slow the spread by wearing masks and maintaining physical distance. Keep it up.

Take care,

Darin Atteberry, City Manager

Regulatory
State Mask Order 
The statewide mask order is similar to the one already in place in Fort Collins and requires everyone over the age of 10 to wear a mask or face covering in all public indoor spaces unless they have a medical condition or disability that prevents them from wearing a mask. This includes using or waiting to use any form of public transportation, a taxi service, car service, or ride-sharing service. Businesses are required to post signage mandating mask-wearing and must refuse entry or service to people not wearing masks.

Enforcement will continue to focus on education and voluntary compliance. Concerns about businesses not enforcing the mask requirement can be submitted to Larimer County Health.

County Variance and Case Count
This weekend, Larimer County Public Health was notified by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment that the uptick in daily case counts in Larimer County has put its variance at risk. A revocation of the variance could potentially impact some of our Community Services operations and local restaurants and breweries, places of worship, public gathering sizes and graduations.

Larimer County was required to create a mitigation plan to show how the county will decrease and stabilize case counts. This plan requires strong community enforcement and compliance for face coverings, social distancing, and following the required guidelines for businesses. It’s critical that we continue to reinforce and support these efforts through education and our own actions. Together we can keep our community healthy and safe and our businesses open. 
More about the Order

Business
Help Keep NoCo Open
The County's variance, and other exemptions that followed, allowed the reopening of restaurants to dine-in customers, foot traffic in retail stores instead of curbside pickup and permitted a much broader range of other business opportunities. The exemptions also allowed institutions such as libraries and museums to reopen to the public.

The community at large and businesses must lead the way in preserving the variances. Here are the 7 things everyone should do while in NoCo:

1. Wear a mask
2. Wash your hands
3. Physically distance
4. Know before you go
5. Be Kind, be patient
6. Support local
7. When in doubt, opt out
More for Businesses

Community
Cyanotoxins & Blue Green Algae
Harmful algae blooms are in local ponds and can be toxic, but it is easy to stay safe while recreating. Here are ways to limit your exposure to potentially toxic blue green algae:
  • Only swim and recreate in areas where water quality is monitored and managed (we do not monitor water bodies in parks and natural areas for harmful algal blooms or cyanotoxins).
  • Keep pets out of water and bring clean water for them to drink.
  • Avoid boating so you can prevent contacting the water or accidentally drinking it.
  • Never drink water from outdoor water bodies such as ponds, lakes, rivers or streams.
  • If you touch the water, use hand sanitizer and wash your hands with soap when available.
More Tips & FAQs

County Health

Larimer County Public Health's Risk Dashboard helps community members understand risk and COVID-19 data relevant to our county. The dashboard highlights the early warning indicators to monitor the health of our hospital systems and COVID-19 case data. Some indicators are updated daily, while hospital data will be updated three times a week.

Wearing a face covering is something we all can – and should – continue to do to protect each other. Wearing a face covering, even when you feel healthy, reduces the risk of transmitting the virus to others. Face coverings, physical distancing, handwashing, and frequent cleaning all help slow the spread of the virus and must continue in order to allow Larimer County to move forward with reopening.
Larimer County COVID-19 Risk Dashboard

Emergency Preparedness & Security
City Hall West, 300 Laporte Ave
Fort Collins, CO 80521