The Yuma County Task Force was implemented in April 2020, and consists of the Yuma County Commissioners, and City Council representatives of Eckley, Wray, and Yuma, City Managers, Administrators, Wray and Yuma District Hospitals, and the Northeast Colorado Health Department (NCHD). The weekly meetings bring local leaders to the table for strong educational outreach, help business sectors understand the ever changing protocols for local events, and provide resources to the community. Through the work of the Task Force, we have helped facility and business reopenings, resilience programs start like summer sports, pools, dance recitals, and libraries opening, supported our community members in hosting safe and compliant events, and continuously advocated for our ability to make public health decisions locally.
The goal for the Task Force is a collaboration of cities, schools, hospitals, county officials and the health department to establish local efforts to navigate statewide health orders, while advocating for local control and the ability to make local decisions based on local conditions. With this collaboration, we were able to successfully gain approval of a Yuma County variance to state wide Safer at Home requirements on May 15, 2020.
The formation of the Task Force allowed Yuma County to be proactive in local decision making rather than reactive to statewide changes. With the use of local resources to make good local decisions, based on local data, and consistency across the county, decisions have been and continue to be made with confidence based on local conditions and the strong collaboration of agencies and members of the Task Force.
During these difficult times, we understand that the changing conditions can cause feelings of anxiety, frustration, and fear. It is important for people to be aware of your personal health and well being, and find healthy outlets to reduce stress and anxiety. While we cannot predict what changes may take place in the coming weeks and months, we are consistently meeting, collaborating, and working to make our communities as safe as we can. The Yuma County Task Force is a partner with the NCHD and have identified our three primary objectives going into fall and winter months as 1. Keeping schools safely open with in-person learning; 2. Keeping people safely at work, driving a strong economy; and 3. Ensuring our hospital systems are strong and do not become overwhelmed.
Yuma County and the COVID-19 Task Force will continue to monitor local conditions and the implications within the State of Colorado Dial Dashboard that was implemented September 15th.
We encourage community members to remain calm, be aware and educated, and do your part in reducing the spread and risks of sickness in the community through good hygiene practices and utilization of tools available to protect yourself and others.
Lastly, in the new state model, there are multiple factors that are considered when determining the county protective level; two week rolling case incidence, two week rolling percent positivity rate, and two week rolling hospitalization rate. If the two week trends exceed the state model thresholds, a consultation process between Yuma County Task Force, NCHD, and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) will be utilized to determine what, if any protective measures are necessary.
If there are any changes, they will likely be made over a multiple week period of time and information will be made available by the appropriate local agency. If you have questions or concerns for a specific area, we encourage you to contact the appropriate schools, city halls and/or the Northeast Colorado Health Department to help answer your questions. Stay Yuma County Strong!