Month in Review | November 2021

bouldercounty.org

Boulder County mask exemption rate data is being collected. At least five St. Vrain Valley schools reported mask exemption rates higher than 3% to Boulder County Public Health, including a Longmont charter school with an exemption rate of 23%, Camera reports. All Boulder Valley School District schools exemption rates below 3%, making SVVSD a bit of an outlier.  •  Add to that over 100 Boulder County employees who have been granted mask exemptions. A reported total 118 employees have applied for either a medical or religious exemption from the vaccine and all but four were approved. Workers faced termination if not fully vaccinated or if they have not requested religious or medical exemption by Dec. 1, according to the Boulder County Board of Commissioners mandate. Most have been medically based exemptions, according to a Boulder County administrator.  •  Last in COVID news, Boulder County has opened booster shots to anyone over 18 years old and the Pfizer vaccine was approved for children over 5 years old. We’re so close to normal, except 5 inmates at Boulder County jail tested positive as of Nov. 17th, with more tests on the way.  •  Watch those matches. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for some parts of Boulder County above 6,000 feet, a warning only issued when there are critical fire weather conditions. Parts of Estes Park are currently ablaze, in spite of cooler temperatures. “A combination of strong winds… low relative humidity… and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior,” the National Weather Service alert read.  •  Is it ski season already? Despite reports of limited snowfall, Eldora Mountain Ski Resort planned to open on Friday, Nov. 19th. We talk about Eldora in our Notables this month.  •  Colorado water quality regulators have issued a cease and desist order to the owner of two hard-rock mines located just outside of Nederland, alleging the mines have discharged potentially hazardous pollutants well in excess of permitted levels into nearby watersheds, reports Colorado Online. The mines in question, Cross and Caribou Mines in western Boulder County, have been issued advisories or notices of violations previously. If there’s one thing we can’t mess up on the planet anymore, it’s water.  •  Ok I lied, here’s one last bit of COVID news. A new public health order – as of Nov. 19th – requires vaccines for all public, indoor unseated events of 500 people or more in some Colorado counties, including Boulder County. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced the order earlier that week.  •  Lastly, this month in criminal intrigue and whodunnit murder madness, the Longmont Police Department arrested a man and woman in a multi-million-dollar real estate fraud scheme earlier this month after a local real estate broker was found dead, leases and keys to his properties stolen, and falsified documents submitted to Boulder County Recorder’s office. Total attempted fraud was over $2M. We’re glad these scammers are off the street.

Small Talk

“We had a form for people to fill out that asked people about their beliefs. They were reviewed by the county attorney and (human relations) to make sure we were compliant with the law. Our most common (reason) is something like an orthopedic surgery. Most commonly it’s temporary. It could be someone who was told they cannot drive and driving is required for their job or someone who is pregnant and needed an accommodation.”
– Jana Peterson, Boulder County Administrator

“We had a form for people to fill out that asked people about their beliefs. They were reviewed by the county attorney and (human relations) to make sure we were compliant with the law. Our most common (reason) is something like an orthopedic surgery. Most commonly it’s temporary. It could be someone who was told they cannot drive and driving is required for their job or someone who is pregnant and needed an accommodation.”
– Brent Tregaskis, Eldora’s President and General Manager

“While Boulder is leading the way in protecting our community against this deadly virus with high vaccination rates, implementing a vaccine requirement for our workforce, and a mask mandate for indoor public spaces, we know that the Delta variant is a formidable foe since it’s many times more contagious than previous strains of COVID and not all our children have had a chance to get the life-saving vaccine.”
– Claire Levy, Boulder County Commissioner

“As we move toward winter in Colorado, Homeless Solutions for Boulder County (HSBC) recognizes that critical weather nights, when temperatures fall below 10°F and/or the City of Boulder experiences 6” or more of snow, are especially impactful to those who are unhoused. While recent changes to the system’s eligibility criteria for shelter stays mean that people have greater access to sheltering, local partners have been working to communicate resources to people in need of shelter during the colder months, and particularly when weather conditions are at critical levels.”
– Boulder County Press Release on Homelessness and Winter

By The Numbers

COVID (by the numbers) – as of Nov. 18, 2021