{"id":88961,"date":"2020-04-25T05:03:10","date_gmt":"2020-04-25T11:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/how-has-san-juan-county-remained-covid-free\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T10:33:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T10:33:06","slug":"how-has-san-juan-county-remained-covid-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/how-has-san-juan-county-remained-covid-free\/","title":{"rendered":"How has San Juan County remained COVID-free?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Silverton
Silverton had minimal traffic in town Wednesday, almost a month after a public health order told residents to stay put and outsiders to stay away. The town of about 600 residents is reporting zero COVID-19 cases as of Thursday, but it also doesn\u2019t do testing.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

San Juan County remains one of eight counties in Colorado that has not reported a single positive case of the coronavirus, in part because it limited access to the outside world.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur reputation isn\u2019t great since the 1919 pandemic,\u201d said San Juan County Public Health Director Becky Joyce, referring to the Spanish flu, which killed 10% of the town\u2019s population and resulted in two mass graves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just trying to do better this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

A statewide stay-at-home order will be lifted next week, and San Juan County\u2019s own public health order expires Thursday. But Silverton officials intend to operate on their own timeline, saying they don\u2019t know when the town will be open to visitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to open up drastically,\u201d Joyce said. \u201cWe want to go slow and monitor for cases.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeAnne Gallegos, director of the Silverton Area Chamber of Commerce, said certain sectors, like construction and real estate, would likely be the first to reopen. While the town wants to reopen its doors to visitors, it\u2019s unclear when that might be safe.<\/p>\n

In nearby Telluride, for instance, health officials found that four new positive cases of coronavirus were tied to people interacting with just one employee at a local restaurant, highlighting how quickly the virus can spread.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll it takes is one person, and we know that,\u201d Gallegos said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019ve held a strong line of defense, so our little village can protect itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

On March 24 \u2013 two days before Gov. Jared Polis\u2019 stay-at-home order \u2013 Joyce enacted a public health order that prohibited outside visitors and unnecessary travel into the small mountain town north of Durango. It was one of the strictest in the state.<\/p>\n

The policy, initially called a \u201clocals only\u201d policy<\/a>, met resistance from some members of the public because it prohibited non-essential travel into the county, effectively closing off public lands to recreation.<\/a> Second-home owners, who returned to their homes, were required to self-quarantine for 14 days.<\/p>\n

Some legal observers have questioned the constitutionality of counties kicking out nonresidents, but no major rulings have been issued during the coronavirus pandemic reversing any of those counties\u2019 actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cEarly on, there was a lot of pushback,\u201d said San Juan County Sheriff Bruce Conrad, who later said the term \u201clocals only\u201d was a poor choice of words. \u201cPeople thought we were trampling their rights. But we realized early on how devastating this could be, especially in a small community like Silverton.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from written warnings during the first few days after the health order, the Sheriff\u2019s Office hasn\u2019t had to enforce the travel ban. As the virus spread across the U.S., people realized the gravity of the situation, Conrad said.<\/p>\n

\"Silverton,
Silverton, a historic mining town in San Juan County, has only two ways in, over two mountain passes from the south or over Red Mountain Pass from the north. San Juan County has told visitors to stay away.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Officials were able to close off Silverton because there are only two ways in \u2013 from Durango over two mountain passes or from Montrose over Red Mountain Pass.<\/p>\n

But self-imposed isolation might not be the only reason why the town has reported no positive cases of the coronavirus, Joyce said.<\/p>\n

Since the shutdown, Silverton hasn\u2019t been able to test residents. A person who showed severe symptoms could be tested in Durango or Montrose, but that situation has happened only once, and the person tested negative.<\/p>\n

Joyce acknowledged that some people in town might have mild symptoms and have chosen not to report it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great mystery: Have we had some cases and didn\u2019t know about it?\u201d Joyce said. \u201cWe just don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Widespread testing became available in Durango<\/a> through Cedar Diagnostics on April 9, but no positive cases showed up in San Juan County. Joyce said she received test kits this week, so the town is prepared for summer\u2019s influx of visitors.<\/p>\n

\"A
A sign in the middle of Greene Street in Silverton warns visitors they face a $5,000 fine and 18 months in jail for violating a public health order, which says: \u201cVisitors to San Juan County are directed to return home immediately.\u201d<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The risk for a small town like Silverton, with a population of about 600 residents, is that a disease can spread fast. And, the town simply doesn\u2019t have the medical resources to handle an outbreak \u2013 the nearest hospital is more than an hour\u2019s drive away.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we came out of the gate so aggressive,\u201d said Jim Donovan, director of San Juan County\u2019s Office of Emergency Management.<\/p>\n

Donovan said Silverton residents have stepped up to challenges posed by the virus. A food bank feeds 40 families a week, schools went online, and there\u2019s a system of volunteers to help deliver groceries and medicine to people in self-quarantine.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur community has been cooperating very admirably,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The vulnerability that comes with being a small town also can help keep Silverton safe, Donovan said, especially when measures like social distancing require buy-in.<\/p>\n

In fact, the other seven counties without a reported case of coronavirus are all in rural parts of the state: Bent, Cheyenne, Conejos, Dolores, Jackson, Kiowa and Sedgwick.<\/p>\n

But what has been especially difficult, Gallegos said, is the about-face on welcoming outside visitors. As the director of the Chamber of Commerce, Gallegos said the town usually goes all out to bring tourists in.<\/p>\n

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the town\u2019s largest economic driver in the winter \u2013 Silverton Mountain \u2013 closed in mid-March<\/a>. The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which hauls thousands of tourists to town, has shut down indefinitely<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And, San Juan County road crews do not plan to plow high mountain passes, a move motivated to save expenses that will also delay the influx of backcountry users, like ATV riders, in early summer.<\/p>\n

The town\u2019s economy has taken a hit, Gallegos said. A few businesses, like the grocery and hardware store, remain open, but most are closed. Just this week, the last open restaurant shut down.<\/p>\n

\u201cLosing March and April is a dramatic financial loss for the folks that stay open during that time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But there is some silver lining: In Silverton, most businesses choose to close in winter and reopen in summer. So in a normal year, April is a shoulder season that doesn\u2019t see much activity.<\/p>\n

So when might people get back to enjoying the views of the San Juans? It appears that will be a week-to-week decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to tell anyone to not come and share this amazing community with us, that\u2019s against our grain,\u201d Gallegos said. \u201cSo it will open up in time. But not in the same timeline as the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

jromeo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

An earlier version of this story erred in saying San Juan County (Colo.) prohibited essential travel into the county. It banned non-essential travel.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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