Windsor to join Greeley and Evans in effort to build out 5-star variance program — assuming the state approves it

By Kelly Ragan

 The city of Greeley has been working for weeks to establish a 5-star variance program to help local businesses expand their indoor capacity while following COVID-19 guidelines. While the state has yet to approve the variance, the city has made some progress.

Dan Frazen, Greeley’s Emergency Manager, said city officials participated in the variance program’s first administrative committee meeting Friday. Frazen also said Windsor planned to join forces with Greeley and Evans as they built out a plan to put the variance program in place.

Metrics for new cases per 100,000 still put Weld in Level Red according to the COVID-19 dial, Frazen said, but other metrics now fall in Level Yellow.

The two-week average positivity rate in the Greeley, Evans, and Windsor area came in at 8.4% as of Wednesday, Frazen said, and hospitalizations in the area were stable.

According to the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment, Weld’s two-week average positivity rate was 9.52% as of Wednesday.

Since January 1, seven people have died due to the coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths in Weld since the beginning of the pandemic to 189.

“We want to get everything at least to orange,” Frazen said.

The state requested a letter of endorsement from the Weld health department, Frazen said.

“The mayor was able to get that for us, and it was forwarded to the state (Tuesday) afternoon,” Frazen said.