Level Yellow: Concern

Colorado’s dial framework standardizes different levels of “openness” at the county level. It is a tool for counties to use to make life during the pandemic more sustainable, allowing us to balance, to the greatest extent possible, controlling the virus with our social and economic needs. 
Here are some important things to understand about the new dial system:

Colorado’s dial framework has six levels to guide county response to COVID-19. Starting with the least restrictive, the levels are:

• 1) Level Green: Protect Our Neighbors
• 2) Level Blue: Cautious
• 3) Level Yellow: Concern
• 4) Level Orange: High Risk
• 5) Level Red: Severe Risk
• 6) Level Purple: Extreme Risk

Counties move back and forth between levels, depending on three metrics:

1. New cases: How much the virus is circulating in a county.
2. Percent positivity: Whether there is sufficient COVID-19 testing to capture the level of virus transmission.
3. Impact on hospitalizations: Whether hospitalizations are increasing, stable, or declining.

Levels are based on the number of new cases, the percent positivity of COVID tests, the impact on hospitals, and local considerations. As the dial moves left, toward Protect Our Neighbors, more people can participate in various activities.  

This framework gives communities a tool to make life in the pandemic more sustainable. 

El Paso County is currently in Level Yellow: Concern

This is more restrictive than Level Blue: Cautious. Action is needed, but Stay at Home may not be warranted. At Level Yellow: Concern, El Paso County meets the following criteria:

• 7.5% or less positivity rate
• 100-300 new cases per 100,000 people during a 7 day period
• Hospitalizations of county residents increasing, stable or declining.

To see El Paso County COVID-19 data, visit our Data Dashboard.