EAGLE COUNTY, Colo — The last time Eagle County was in a good position relative to COVID-19 spread and headed into a holiday weekend, things didn't turn out so well.
Public health officials don’t want to repeat the events that happened in the aftermath of the July 4 holiday as locals and visitors celebrate the summer’s finale during Labor Day weekend.
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“Events on Fourth of July and around that weekend led to a scary increase of cases, not only in our community but in the state,” said Birch Barron, Eagle County’s emergency management director. “The biggest thing that we learned from the Fourth of July was that during that week, and even a couple of weeks leading up to it, people started to let their guard down. I think that people really felt, honestly, that it was no longer necessary to be vigilant.”
Barron noted that after months of relative isolation, the warm days of summer meant more time outside and less perceived risk of disease spread. But there were faults in that reasoning, he said.
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