COLORADO, USA — The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office closed areas of Clear Creek in Golden and unincorporated Jefferson County in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Personal protective equipment has been sent to every Colorado county, with some allocations going to places like prisons and election centers, according to the Colorado Unified Command.
More than 95% of Colorado renters paid their May rent, according to the Colorado Apartment Association. That's up from April, and above the national average.
Eagle County has released a plan to resume for public hearings and meetings, with some restrictions, beginning June 2.
Olde Town Arvada has announced a number of street closures this summer in an effort to comply with social distancing mandates while promoting economic growth for its businesses.
The area will be transformed into a pedestrian area so that visitors can walk, ride their bikes, take the G Line or drive and park in the parking garage.
Denver's largest summer festival has been canceled this year. A Taste of Colorado will not be taking place this Labor Day weekend at Civic Center Park.
After being closed for weeks for anything but takeout and delivery, Colorado restaurants can open Wednesday for in-person dining. They must follow certain guidelines and can only seat 50% of their maximum capacity or 50 people, whichever is less.
Rocky Mountain National Park and Arapahoe Basin also open Wednesday with restrictions.
Aurora Public Library patrons have a new way to access books and library materials beginning Wednesday.
The 2020 Littleton Twilight Criterium bicycle event will not be taking place this August.
Those are among the coronavirus updates for the state on Wednesday. More details are below, and we'll continue to post information as it comes in throughout the day.
WHAT TO KNOW RIGHT NOW
- 24,767 cases, up from 24,565 the day prior.
- 4,196 hospitalized, up from 4,160 the day prior.
- 1,392 deaths among those who tested positive for COVID-19, up from 1,352 the day prior.
- 1,135 deaths due to COVID-19, up from 1,114 the day prior.
- Get the latest data from the Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE).
- Polis said restaurants can reopen to in-person dining on Wednesday, with strict regulations in place. Day camps and youth sports camps can reopen June 1.
- Denver, Jefferson County Public Health and Tri-County Public Health confirmed they will follow Polis' statewide guidelines.
- Polis extended the state's safer-at-home order to June 1.
Portion of Clear Creek closed
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office closed areas of Clear Creek in Golden and unincorporated Jefferson County in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
All activities, including swimming, tubing and kayaking, are prohibited. The closure includes Vanover Park. Violations could result in a $100 fine.
PPE distributed to every Colorado county
The Colorado Unified Command said Wednesday that it has distributed personal protective equipment in every Colorado county. Recipients include local emergency management offices, health agencies, election offices and prisons.
This shipment includes:
- 270,291 N95
- 14,565 KN95
- 199,120 surgical masks
- 45,774 face shields
- 346,440 gloves nitrile
- 31,000 latex gloves
- 561 bottles of sanitizer
Election offices received;
- 19,496 face coverings / masks
- 12,060 large bottles of hand Sanitizer
- 243 thermometers
More than 95% of Coloradans paid their rent in May
More than 95% of Colorado renters paid their rent in May, a number higher than April’s 91%.
This is according to data released Wednesday by the Colorado Apartment Association, which said despite concerns about the COVID-19’s impact on renters, “the financial impact has not been as severe as anticipated.”
In the U.S. as a whole, the National Multifamily Housing Council reported that 90.8% of renters paid their May rent, compared to 85% in April.
Colorado’s data comes from 50 different apartment management companies, and accounts for 125,000 homes.
Landlords have been encouraged to work with renters who may have lost jobs due to the pandemic, and Colorado has put a halt on evictions until June.
Eagle County to resume public hearings
Eagle County released a plan on Wednesday that spells out how public hearings will resume beginning June 2.
Members of the public are encouraged to sign up for each meeting at eaglecounty.us so room occupancy can be monitored. Walk-ins will be accommodated based on room capacity.
If the online registration indicates that the room will be at or over capacity, no member of the public will be allowed to attend the meeting and public comment will be collected through an electronic form that will have both written and video options.
The county is encouraging all members of the public to submit public comments through the electronic form to limit in-person contact. The electronic form can be found at eaglecounty.us, or attached to meeting agendas as appropriate.
All public meetings and hearings are streamed live at ecgtv.com/live and at Facebook.com/EagleCounty.
Olde Town Arvada announces summer street closures to support businesses
The Olde Town Arvada Business Improvement District (BID) is preparing for street closures this summer in an effort to create an open-air, pedestrian environment that also promotes economic growth for its businesses.
The current closure plan includes Grandview Avenue from Webster Street to Olde Wadsworth Boulevard and sections of Olde Wadsworth Boulevard between Grandview Avenue and Grant Place, maintaining essential access for businesses along the street.
The area will be transformed into a pedestrian area so that visitors can walk, ride their bikes, take the G Line or drive and park in the parking garage while enjoying the town safely.
Restaurants will have the ability to serve additional patrons outside and retail businesses will have the ability to utilize space in front of their stores for unique purposes such as jewelry making demonstrations and art displays.
While the official date of the closure has not been set, the closures are planned to last through Labor Day.
RELATED: Old Town Arvada shutting down streets this summer to support businesses, encourage social distancing
A Taste of Colorado canceled in 2020
Downtown Denver Partnership has canceled this summer's A Taste of Colorado.
The three-day festival had been scheduled to return for a 37th year over Labor Day weekend at Denver's Civic Center Park. Festival organizers aim for the food, music and shopping event to return in 2021.
Restaurants can reopen today in Colorado
After being closed since March, on Wednesday, in-person dining will be allowed at restaurants across Colorado. Businesses like breweries and distilleries will be allowed to reopen as long as they serve food. Polis said the food itself isn’t what guides this model, but rather efforts to limit social interactions between different groups of people.
Rocky Mountain National Park reopens today
Rocky Mountain National Park plans to increase recreational access and services in a phased reopening beginning Wednesday.
The Beaver Meadows and Grand Lake Entrances opened Wednesday morning, but park operations and services will be much different this year. RMNP will continue to work with the state to follow the safer-at-home guidance, as well as with county and local officials as these changes are implemented, the park service said.
Littleton Twilight Criterium 2020 canceled
The City of Littleton has decided to cancel the 2020 Littleton Twilight Criterium due to the impact of COVID-19.
The event was in its 8th year and has been held in downtown Littleton on the first Saturday in August since 2013. The event aims to return in 2021.
Aurora Public Library opens curbside pickup
Starting Wednesday, Aurora Public Library patrons can pick up items from their favorite library branch after they place items on hold online.
The Aurora Public Library branches offering curbside pickup are Central, Hoffman Heights, Martin Luther King Jr, Mission Viejo and Tallyn’s Reach.
For details and answers to most common question on the curbside pickup service, visit AuroraGov.org/LibraryCurbsidePickup.
Telluride Jazz Festival moved to 2021
The 44th annual Telluride Jazz Festival has been postponed until Aug. 13 to Aug. 15, 2021.
Most of the artists scheduled to perform have committed to the new dates, leaving a similar lineup in place for 2021, according to organizers.
For more information about 2020 refunds and 2021 ticket options, visit TellurideJazz.org/covid-19-postponement.
Coronavirus cases in Colorado
CDPHE on May 15 changed the way it was reporting data in two ways:
- The number of deaths among people with COVID-19. This represents the total number of deaths reported among people who have COVID-19, but COVID-19 may not have been the cause of death listed on the death certificate. This information is required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is crucial for public health surveillance, as it provides more information about disease transmission and can help identify risk factors among all deaths across populations.
- The number of deaths among people who died from COVID-19: This represents the total number of people whose death was attributed to COVID-19 as indicated on a death certificate. This number is determined by the CDC and is updated daily for dates through the previous Saturday.
In Colorado, CDPHE reports 24,767 people have tested positive for the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, up from 24,565 the day prior.
Fatalities
CDPHE reports:
- 1,392 deaths among people with COVID-19
- 1,135 deaths due to COVID-19
The day prior, 1,352 people had died, 1,114 from COVID-19.
The majority of deaths — 54% — are among people over age 80; 23% of deaths occurred in people between ages 70-79 and 13% were in people ages 60-69.
The graph below shows the total number of people in Colorado who have died after a COVID-19 diagnosis, since the first death happened on March 13.
Hospitalizations
Of those who tested positive for the disease, a total of 4,196 hospitalizations have been reported, up from 4,160 the day prior.
As of 2:25 p.m. on May 27, 362 patients were hospitalized with the disease, according to the most recent data from the Colorado Hospital Association. Within the last 24 hours, 39 patients have been transferred or discharged.
Note: 98% of facilities reported data on May 26.
This graph below shows the number of people currently hospitalized with a COVID-19 diagnosis and the number of people who have been discharged within 24 hours. This is a key metric because it can be an indicator of whether or not Colorado’s hospital system is being overwhelmed by the virus.
Testing
According to CDPHE, 160,796 people have been tested, up from 157,036 the day prior, and 60 counties are reporting cases, the same number as the day before.
This graph below shows the number of tests the state processed in a day. This is another key metric because the state’s ability to reopen will depend on the number of tests Colorado can run each day. As testing improves, the number of cases will rise because the more tests that are conducted, the more cases will be found.
Positivity is the number of tests that come back with a COVID-19 result. Above 10% could be an indicator that not enough testing is being done and that only people likely to have COVID are getting tested.
Please note that there may be a lull or spike in reported case data due to how it's reported. CDPHE data changes as labs, hospitals, facilities and local agencies report their own data. For example, a spike in the number of deaths does not necessarily mean that many more people died within 24 hours, but rather is indicative of when the data is entered into the system. New data is released daily at 4 p.m.
COVID-19 is a disease caused by a virus that first appeared in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough and breathing trouble. Most patients develop only mild symptoms. But some people, usually those with other medical complications, develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal.
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