Denver Moves To 'Safer At Home Level 3' Amid Coronavirus Spike

DENVER, CO — Denver is shifting to stricter guidelines and restrictions under Colorado's COVID-19 Dial, Mayor Michael Hancock announced Tuesday.

The city is shifting from Level 2 to Safer at Home Level 3 amid a continued surge in cases, public health officials said.

"We can get this thing back under control, but we're going to need to take a more serious approach," Hancock said during a news conference Tuesday.

"We need to do everything we can to not shut down our economy," he said. "We want to avoid that at all costs."

The city has been ordered to complete the transition to Level 3 by Wednesday afternoon, Hancock said.

More than 2,400 new cases have been reported in Denver over the past 10 days, according to the latest data.

As hospitalizations grow, the city is at risk of shifting to a stay at home order, public health officials said. An increase has been seen in all age groups, the data shows.

The city's hospitals could be overwhelmed in a matter of weeks, officials said.

While trick-or-treating is still allowed in the city, people are asked to adhere to strict safety precautions, officials said.

Here's what Denverites can expect under the new 'Safer Level 3: High Risk' restrictions:

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• Restaurants can operate at 25 percent of the posted occupancy or 50 people per room, whichever is less. This new restriction is down from 50 percent capacity.
• Places of worship and life rites can operate at 25 percent capacity or 50 people.
• Non-critical manufacturing and offices drop from 50 percent to 25 percent capacity.
• Retail drops from 50 percent to 25 percent capacity.
• Personal services move to 25 percent from 50 percent capacity.
• Indoor events can operate at 50 percent capacity or 25 people, whichever is fewer.

The state announced an update Tuesday night for its Safer Level 3 gym restrictions — gyms will be allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity or 25 people, whichever is fewer. The previous restrictions allowed 10 people:

Denver Public Schools will not face changes under the new restrictions, health officials said. The city is working closely with the district to ensure community safety, the city said.

The change to Level 3 also doesn't impact site-specific variances including: the Botanic Gardens, Denver Zoo and Cherry Creek Mall. Those can continue to operate according to the allowances and conditions of the original variance approvals, officials said.

Denver restaurants have "done a phenomenal job" of adhering to the coronavirus guidelines, Hancock said. But the general increase in COVID-19 cases will further impact local businesses. Safer at Home Level 3 requires bars and restaurants to implement a 10 p.m. last-call order, officials said.