****Tuesday, Governor Polis announced that one-time stimulus payments of $375 would be going out this week. This direct cash payment will go toward most of the 435,000 Coloradans who experienced unemployment during the pandemic. Coloradans who were qualified to receive weekly unemployment insurance benefits under Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), and other programs, are eligible.

Eligible claimants will receive an email or call from the Department of Labor and Employment and are encouraged to log in to their benefits accounts to ensure that their address is up-to-date and their selected payment method is correct.

****Larimer County Commissioners are continuing to pursue a variance program for restaurants, gyms and other businesses that have been placed under stricter regulations as the county was moved by the state to a red risk level.

Tuesday during the County Commissioners meeting Commissioner Steve Johnson brought up the variances and asked if a formal proposal could be sent to the Governor requesting the action. Larimer County Public Health Director Tom Gonzales said he had reached out to the Governor’s office over a week ago and had not received a reply.

Several counties in the state have sought to implement a program similar to the one being used in Mesa County. The “5-Star” exemption program, approved by the state has been running since summer and allows businesses like restaurants and bars to remain open if they adhere or exceed the safety protocols mandated by public health departments.

****Governor Jared Polis and his partner Marlon Reis both tested positive for the coronavirus last week. The announcement was made via social media by the governor Friday, Nov. 28. Polis said that they were both asymptomatic. “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, no one is immune from this virus. Now is the time to be more cautious than ever before,” Polis said in a statement, reiterating that Coloradans should continue to practice social distancing, wear face masks and take other measures recommended by public health officials

****Governor Polis provided an update Tuesday on the State’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and was joined by infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, M.D., National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director.

During the news conference, Fauci discussed that Colorado is not alone in seeing a spike in cases as much of the west and the upper Midwest are also experiences increases. He also spoke to how the country is dealing with a nationwide public health crisis unlike what we saw in March and that the virus had spread to different regions, and noted that as temperatures drop and we approach the holiday season he anticipates that the country could see a “surge upon a surge.” He pointed out that the country is looking at 30 or more days of precarious risk and encouraged people to avoid crowds indoors, wear a mask, wash hands and social distance.

“Instead of thinking in terms of the Thanksgiving holiday and then the Christmas holiday as two separate events, I think we are going to be looking at 30 or more days of a period of time of precarious risk,” said Dr. Fauci.

Dr. Fauci also discussed the news of vaccines and thanked Colorado’s front line health care workers for their efforts. Dr. Fauci urged Coloradans to be a part of the solution to the pandemic and discussed the importance of mitigating the virus.

When discussing the news of vaccines, Dr. Fauci added “This is a testimony to the exquisite and extraordinary scientific advances that have taken place over many years…it’s quiet meticulous science that allows you to get a vaccine that is 94-95% effective from the time the virus was recognized in January 2020 to putting it in a person’s arm in December 2020.”

When asked about the safety of the vaccine Fauci explained that multiple independent safety and monitoring entities including the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee have had oversite in the development of the vaccines.

“We’re all in this together, help is on the way and we are going to get out of this,” Dr. Fauci concluded.

****Colorado Legislature’s COVID-19 relief has been advancing during a special session with several bills passed and others quickly moving through the committee phase.

House Bill 20B-1004, which was passed by the House Tuesday, was carried by Sens. Jeff Bridges, D–Greenwood Village, and Jack Tate, R–Centennial, in the Senate. The bill will allow restaurants and bars to keep up to $10,000 of monthly sales tax revenue through February 2021.

HB20B-1002, would distribute $45 million to enable existing child care providers to keep their doors open and new providers to open and meet the needs of working parents, especially in child care deserts. These grant programs are estimated to support 2,600 child care facilities, preserving child care for over 100,000 children and creating capacity for tens of thousands more. As of Tuesday the bill had passed the House Public Health and Human Services and Appropriations committees.

House Bill 20B-1001, which passed the House earlier Tuesday, was sponsored in the upper chamber by Sens. Kerry Donovan, D–Vail, and Don Coram, R–Montrose. The legislation would appropriate $20 million in grant funding to increase internet access for rural students, teachers and parents.

Senate Bill 20B-001, provides relief for small and minority-owned businesses passed.

Amendments to HB20B-1005 removed the County Board of Commissioners as the oversight authority and excluded convenience stores and grocery stores from its jurisdiction.

Senate Bill 20B-001 requires Gov. Polis to “continue to develop a framework to certify businesses that demonstrate exemplary compliance with public health orders during the pandemic through an evidence-based certification program that is aligned with the state’s objectives to contain the COVID-19 virus.”

Republican-led efforts to limit the governor’s emergency powers and impose procedural requirements on his declarations were stopped by the Senate Committee on Finance in a 4-3 vote. Republicans also objected to a clause in the small business relief bill that only businesses that are abiding by state health orders were eligible for aid and the $2 million allotted for state and local administrative costs to dispense the aid.

**** As the COVID-19 pandemic hit Colorado last spring, the community responded with an incredible outpouring of donations and support for health care workers.

To better coordinate community goodwill that may come with the current COVID-19 surge, Banner Health and the hospital foundations in Larimer and Weld counties have created avenues to support local health care workers. Banner no longer will accept food donations at the hospitals.

To donate visit mckeefoundation.com/donate/.

*Larimer County

• Total Cases: 10,247 (+1,639 from last week)
• Total Cases in Berthoud: 387 (+76 from last week)
• Deaths: 75 (+8 from last week)
• New positive cases in 24 hours: 181
• 14-Day Case Rate per 100k: 780
• COVID patients in hospital: 112
• Hospital Utilization: 77%
• ICU Utilization: 69%
• 14-Day test positivity rate: 11.6
• Risk Score: High
• 2.82% of the population of Larimer County has been reported to have contracted the virus. Deaths attributed to the virus comprise 0.73% of reported cases.

*State of Colorado

• New positive cases in 24 hours: 4,062
• COVID patients currently hospitalized: 1,847 (93% of hospitals reporting)
• Hospital transfers or discharges in the past 24 hours: 241
• Total cases: 237,310
• Total hospitalizations: 14,116
• Deaths: 2,695
• Percent of critical care ventilators in use: 49%
• Hospitals anticipating a staff shortage in the next week: 30%
• Facilities anticipating personal protective equipment shortages in the next week: 1%
• Hospitals anticipating ICU bed shortages in the next week: 12%

*As of Dec. 2, 2020.