STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Two Routt County residents tested positive Tuesday for COVID-19, according to the Routt County Public Health Department.

The first case was a woman in her 20s, who was considered symptomatic. She was identified through contact tracing in relation to a previous positive case. The second was a symptomatic man in his 80s. He had traveled out of state and attended a large event, according to local health officials. 

Both are recovering in isolation, and their close contacts, which were identified through contact tracing, are being tested. 

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The month of June has seen the addition of five positive cases, bringing the total in Routt County to 67, with four remaining active. One new positive case, a female teenager, was identified Monday and another, a woman in her 50s, was identified Saturday.

“We want to remind everyone that through contact tracing we have seen that travel and group gatherings are risky activities, and everyone should use extreme caution around people who have traveled or attended large events,” Routt County Director of Public Health Kari Ladrow said.

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A variance request recently submitted to the state to allow for larger in-person gatherings for events could be jeopardized by an increase of additional cases, according to Ladrow.

“If this trend continues and we have more positive cases this week and next, it may hurt our chances for a variance approval,” she said.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment defines 25 cases per 100,000 over two weeks as low spread. For Routt County’s population of 25,000, a low spread would mean seven cases over two weeks. A medium viral spread would be 13 cases over two weeks, and a high spread would be 26 cases in a two-week period. 

The state’s public health order still limits personal gatherings to 10 people. Large gatherings over 10 people are not permitted, including parties, barbecues and camp-outs.

“We urge our residents and our visitors to take public health prevention measures seriously to keep our county safe, healthy and open to business and community events,” Ladrow said. 

In order to move to the next phase of opening called “Protect Our Neighbors,” the county needs to show that a successful suppression of COVID-19, Ladrow said.

To reach Bryce Martin, call 970-871-4206 or email bmartin@SteamboatPilot.com.