The Larimer County Department of Health and Environment announced on Twitter that its COVID-19 restrictions will be moved back from Level Orange to Level Yellow starting at 9:00 a.m. Feb. 6 as a part of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Dial 2.0. 

Dial 2.0 considers new metrics for measuring infection rates statewide and provides guidance for counties to move between phases as COVID-19 infection rates, vaccination rates and hospital capacity changes. The revised metrics include monitoring of county infection rates across a seven day period instead of the previous 14 day period. 

The decision for Larimer County’s businesses to operate at higher capacity comes as a result of falling local COVID-19 infection rates and increasing vaccinations. To be considered a Level Yellow county, positive test rates must be lower than 7.5% in the last week. 

This new phase increases capacity from 25% to 50% for indoor restaurants, offices, places of retail and outdoor events and other services. Schools will continue appropriate hybrid, remote and in-person operations and bars will remain closed. The new metrics allow dial levels to continue changing at a more responsive pace as COVID-19 circumstances change.

Noelle Mason can be reached at news@collegian.com and on Twitter at @noellemaso.