As news comes from Colorado's Governor that the latest version of the State's COVID-19 dial will retire this week, the Phillips County Commissioners have chosen to lift face covering requirements.

Governor Jared Polis said in a news conference last week that the current COVID-19 dial will expire on April 16. As the dial and its framework of openness for each Colorado county expires, control has been given to local County Commissioners in conjunction with local health departments.

In a press release regarding masks released on April 9, the Phillips County Commissioners announced their decisions to lift the mandate at the local level after careful review of local disease rates and following consultation with the Northeast Colorado Health Department.

There are some exceptions to the Governor's executive order regarding masks that may not be changed including in schools, state government facilities, care facilities including nursing home and assisted living residences, prisons, jails and emergency medical settings like hospitals, clinics and doctors' offices.

According to data from the Northeast Colorado Health Department, Phillips County has had just one new case of COVID-19 over the past seven days. The test positivity rate is currently at zero. Over the last month, Phillips County, with a population of 4,278, has seen just eight cases of COVID-19.

The local health department district, which covers Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington and Yuma counties, has a total of 135 estimated active cases as of Monday morning.