Jefferson County will go to tighter restrictions because of a spike in COVID-19 cases.

Jefferson County Public Health said Wednesday the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment notified it that the more restrictive Safer at Home Level Orange (previously Level 3) in the state’s framework will go into effect at 5 p.m. Monday.

“We were hoping we could avoid these new restrictions, but unfortunately cases have continued to increase in JeffCo and across the state. At the same time, we recognize that this has been such a long event, and we are all experiencing different levels of exhaustion,” said Dr. Margaret Huffman, director of Community Health Services at JCPH.

“It’s important to remember all the reasons we have been working so hard to keep ourselves, loved ones and community healthy. Whether it’s to be able to enjoy celebrations together sooner, to protect our health care workers who are coping with burnout or to help keep our schools and favorite businesses open, we have so many reasons to pull together to save lives.”

The positivity rate and hospitalizations have continued to rise sharply in the past two weeks in the county.

Over the last 14 days, there have been 2,513 cases in the county, the health department said. That equates to 431 cases per 100,000 residents.

Hospitalizations have jumped more than 75% over the same two-week span, the health department said.

The county’s positivity rate is 7.7%.

Safer at Home levels begin at 175 cases per 100,000 people. Anything above 350 cases per 100,000 people would mean a stay-at-home phase, according to the state’s public health COVID-19 dial.

“Even some small changes, like staying home two or three more times a week, can go a long way,” Huffman said. “Just know that your individual steps to reduce the spread of COVID-19 matter and protect those around you. If you look at the last nine months and all your hard work, they likely already have.”

Besides Jefferson County, Boulder County, Summit County and the city and county of Broomfield have implemented the Safer at Home restrictions.