EL PASO COUNTY – Governor Jared Polis on Friday signed an executive order to extend the statewide mask mandate for at least another month. The mandate began about a month ago, and since then, figures in El Paso County have gradually begun to move in the right direction.
Even though we are still in what is considered a high-risk area, those with El Paso County Public Health said we are doing better than we were a few weeks ago. Currently, the county is around a positivity rate of 6%, which is a decrease from where we were a month to two months ago. Public Health said the goal is to fall below 5%. “Percentage positivity is of all the people who come up to test, how many of those people actually test positive … That number, that percentage positivity, is also coming down. In the last few weeks, it has returned to about 6%. “It’s a very, very good indicator that we’re doing things right in El Paso County right now,” said Dr. Leon Kelly, the Deputy Medical Director for El Paso County Public Health.
Dr Kelly said the mask mandate has played a role in the slow decline we have seen. “When you get dramatic changes in the life of a mask, when people suddenly start applying it, you get, in essence, immediate improvement … But what’s important to know is that it does not only apply the mask. It’s that when you wear the mask, it’s a constant reminder of all the other things you need to do, “said Dr. Kelly.
Dr. However, Kelly said there is still work to be done, with potentially her biggest challenge on the horizon: school. “While our numbers are going down, and that’s encouraging, they’re not where they should be. climbing, and so we need to be, as we said at the beginning of this, we need to be comprehensive, we need to be persistent, we need to be disciplined, “said Drs. Kelly.
News5 spoke on Friday afternoon with several people in Downtown Colorado Springs, and heard many opinions about the expansion of the mask mandate, ranging from support, to opposition, and indifference. “Honestly, I think it’s worth it. I have no problem with it … I would like to see the numbers of El Paso County drop a little more,” said Brady Daye, a Colorado Springs resident.
Another resident said he will wear a mask if he has to enter a business, but thinks they are a joke. “This whole thing started with the CDC saying that masks are useless, and now everyone is trying to mandate it … It seems like it’s just put in place, nobody really cares. I think the majority of the people who wear masks just wear it to keep the peace, “said Kade Huesman.
Others said they were liberated the mandate was extended. “I hate what life is like, but I feel the longer we are not ready to accept it, the longer it will be this way … I know the numbers just went up before they did the mask mandate, so me “it means it works. I have a junior in high school and he just wants to have a normal senior year, and if this is a sacrifice we have to make, I’m all for it,” said Melissa Bannerot.
Dr Kelly had words of encouragement for all residents of the province to remember during the expansion. “By the time you see negative outcomes, you see the numbers going in the wrong direction. It’s really hard to turn that thing around. And yet we’ve done it, as a community, and we’ve done it twice now. the series proves that if we commit ourselves to something, as a city and as a province, we can move this thing in the right direction, “said Dr. Kelly.
News5 also reached out to the Pueblo Department of Public Health and the Environment, which said its positivity rate is 4.9%. They want to keep it below 5%, and hope the community continues to practice social distance, good hygiene, and wearing face masks in public to help.
.
