{"id":2458465,"date":"2020-05-14T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-15T03:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=325763"},"modified":"2020-05-14T21:30:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-15T03:30:00","slug":"with-infections-flat-health-board-endorses-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/with-infections-flat-health-board-endorses-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"With infections flat, health board endorses plan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Aspen Valley Hospital\u2019s Debra Demeulenaere takes the temperature of patient Jamie Grenney before he enters through the east entrance of the hospital on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong>
Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Members of the Pitkin County Board of Health endorsed a local reopening strategy Thursday that would allow local public health authorities to keep their options open depending on local infection rates.<\/p>\n

The vote Thursday afternoon follows the lead of Pitkin County commissioners, who voted Wednesday to request a variance from the state public health department allowing the county\u2019s \u201cRoadmap to Reopening\u201d strategy to take precedence over upcoming state public health orders.<\/p>\n

That strategy says that if five particular factors remain manageable in Pitkin County, local public health officials would implement a three-phase opening plan that began Saturday. Those factors include a two-week drop in local virus cases, smooth operations at the hospital, having a robust testing and contact tracing infrastructure in place and appropriate social-distancing protocols.<\/p>\n

Pitkin County\u2019s infection rate remains flat, said Charles Spickert, a contract epidemiologist working for the county.<\/p>\n

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