Counties Attempt To Stability Tourism As Circumstances Uptick – CBS Denver

ESTES PARK, Colorado (CBS4) – The streets of Estes Park are still quiet as the tourist season is yet to come. With the likely onslaught of people comes concern.

“This church is older than most of them in Colorado. It’s mostly an age community, ”said Liz Geweke, 10-year-old full-time resident. “We see a lot of cars with license plates from Texas, Louisiana and Kansas and a lot of people walking around town without a mask.”

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These trends could create trouble if city sidewalks are crowded with people who may but not yet bring COVID-19 from places with lower vaccination rates.

“We are currently seeing a small increase. That’s a little worrying. We have many more varieties in the county and within the state. It’s more transmissible, ”said population epidemiologist Jared Olson of Larimer County’s Public Health and Environment.

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He does not yet see a disturbing number of outside cases.

“We continue to have so many cases here in the county itself that some Wyoming cases that come across the border from Weld or Boulder Counties won’t make a significant difference in our case rate.”

In the ski towns it is currently more difficult in the middle of the high season.

“Whether it was Brazilian, British, or whatever comes up next, we were concerned about it,” said Scott Vargo, Summit County’s manager. They have tried to get the state to sell more vaccine doses as they may be exposed to outside sources from other states and countries.

“We have absolutely told the state that we are vulnerable as counties in the vacation region, more vulnerable than some other areas, and we would like to see some attention in that area,” said Vargo.

“It has been difficult to get past that edge,” Vargo said of balancing hopes of keeping business going and welcoming people but keeping the population safe.

The next hurdle could be getting people to get the vaccine in order to achieve herd immunity. In Larimer County, as in many other countries, many people under the age of 50 have not yet been vaccinated.

Olson would like to see more people of all ages vaccinated.

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“I think it’s unclear if this vaccine hesitation is some sort of passing phenomenon where some people just take some time to see what is happening to other people, want more information, or if they are likely to contact one hold on for a long time. “

The county is working on ways to ensure that the influx of seasonal workers can be vaccinated for the upcoming tourist season before it is potentially exposed. A little more than a quarter of the district’s population has now received at least one vaccination.

That’s a long way from herd immunity.

CBS4 asked Vargo if there had been any discussion of something like a vaccination record and he said yes.

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“We’ll see each other, is there any difference in the restrictions we could offer? What are the rules for people who come and visit us, for guests who have not been vaccinated versus those who have been vaccinated? Is there more flexibility for the vaccinated people and maybe this is another incentive for people who come from elsewhere to go the route to get themselves vaccinated? “

Both said they could try to get longer mask mandates from the state.

“I think it’s one of the most cost-effective interventions we can possibly have,” said Olson. “We all have masks. We are all used to wearing masks in indoor public spaces. “

According to Vargo, a mask mandate is much easier to maintain when it’s a nationwide rule. Earlier in the pandemic, when the rules were different in different communities, it was harder to enforce, he said.

“Once it was a nationwide ordinance, it became a lot easier for people to enforce and it became a lot easier for people to become aware of it.”

The plus of getting outside in the open air, Olson said, will hopefully help. “Let’s spend April outside so we can get as much of our summer as possible and get to that point of herd immunity faster.”