San Juan County reported its first outbreak of COVID-19 on Friday at a Silverton business, but local health officials have declined to say where it occurred.
DeAnne Gallegos, spokeswoman for the San Juan County Office of Emergency Management, said the outbreak originated at a Silverton business, along with a separate group of individuals.
In all, four people associated with the outbreak tested positive. According to state guidelines, an “outbreak” is defined as two or more cases at a location in a 14-day period.
Gallegos and San Juan County Public Health Director Becky Joyce declined to name the workplace Friday.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment updates its list of active outbreaks every Wednesday. When contacted Friday, a spokeswoman with CDPHE said, “We don’t have any information to share. San Juan County will be your best contact as they are the lead investigator.”
Gallegos said anyone who might have been exposed to the COVID-19-positive individuals may be contacted by case investigators from San Juan County Public Health. As of Friday, 20 people had been contacted who are connected to the cases.
Since the pandemic began, the case count in San Juan County has remained low, with only two positive results. Despite the reported outbreak, CDPHE still listed the county’s case number at two as of Friday.
“It is more important than ever to not let our guards down now that we are six months into the pandemic,” Joyce said in a prepared statement. “We are all in this together and protecting our community is our foremost priority.”
jromeo@durangoherald.com