Colorado Suspects Virus Cluster in Ski-Resort Region

(Bloomberg) -- Colorado is stepping up coronavirus field testing in popular mountain resort areas to track the severity of the outbreak, as Governor Jared Polis warned that it poses “extreme risk to the high country.”

At a news conference Monday, Polis said it is likely there are “thousands of cases across the state” that haven’t been identified, and he followed other governors in ordering the closure of in-house dining at restaurants and bars across the state for at least 30 days.

The state heath department said there has been “extensive spread of COVID-19 in a number of mountain resort communities,” adding that “anyone who has been in Eagle, Summit, Pitkin, or Gunnison counties in the past week should minimize all contact with other people, whether or not they are experiencing symptoms.”

At least 40 of the state’s 160 confirmed cases are in the high country, including Eagle County, home of Vail Ski Resort. Monday’s tally showed an increase of 29 cases statewide from a total of 131 on Sunday.

The Colorado National Guard is preparing to conduct field tests in Telluride on Tuesday, Scott Bookman, state health department incident commander, said in a conference call with reporters. It will serve about 100 high-risk patients identified as a priority by health-care providers, the health department said.

Fields tests are different than drive-up tests in that they are aimed at tracking the velocity of the virus spread. “The state is prioritizing testing in mountain resort communities because of the documented transmission of the disease in these areas with a high number of tourists,” the health department said.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.