CITY AND COUNTY OF DENVER: City and County of Denver COVID-19 Status Update

By Press release submission

Dec 21, 2020

City and County of Denver issued the following announcement on Dec. 18.

The City and County of Denver provided the following COVID-19 status update:

Vaccination Updates:

The first vaccine shipments have arrived in Colorado. Under Phase 1A of the State’s distribution plan, doses are being sent directly to health care and long-term care facilities for their workers and residents. The city is now planning for Phases 1B and 2, under which local public health departments, including Denver Public Health and Environment, will have more of a role in the distribution. Denver is partnering with local providers and pharmacies to ensure there is broad access to the COVID-19 vaccine. View the press conference.

The city has launched a COVID-19 vaccination webpage to provide the latest updates around the city’s vaccination distribution plans and FAQs. The webpage provides residents with localized information regarding vaccine distribution in Denver, as well as vaccine safety.

Financial Aid to Restaurants/Bars:

The City and County Denver, through its Department of Transportation & Infrastructure (DOTI), is giving more than 100 businesses a boost this month, distributing a total of $970,000 in economic aid to 135 restaurants and bars that incurred costs for creating outdoor seating areas amid COVID-19. Click here for more information.

Community Testing Sites:

People who feel sick or are concerned they have been exposed to COVID-19 should get tested. Visit Denver’s community-based testing page to find community testing sites across the city. Inclement weather may impact operations.

Denver County Current Status:

Numbers represent current data, subject to change based on additional data

Current State Dial Level: Red – Severe Risk

Two-week cumulative incidence rate of ≥350
- To return to Level Orange: two-week cumulative incidence rate of ≥175 - <350
Two-week average positivity rate of >15%
- To return to Level Orange: two-week average positivity rate of >10% - ≤15%
Decreasing or Stable Hospitalizations for 0-7 Days
- To return to previous level: Decreasing or Stable Hospitalizations for 8-11 days

Denver two-week cumulative incidence rate

Friday, Dec. 11: 865 average of new daily cases per 100,000 population
Saturday, Dec. 12: 857
Sunday, Dec. 13: 831
Monday: Dec. 14: 792
Tuesday, Dec. 15: 766
Wednesday, Dec. 16: 725
Thursday, Dec. 17: 679

Two-week average positivity rate

Friday, Dec. 11: 8.1%
Saturday, Dec. 12: 7.9%
Sunday, Dec. 13: 7.7%
Monday: Dec. 14: 7.3%
Tuesday, Dec. 15: 7.2%
Wednesday, Dec. 16: 7.1%
Thursday, Dec. 17: 6.9%

Decreasing or stable hospitalizations

Current: 10 days of declining or stabile new hospital admissions
Persons hospitalized with COVID-19 North Central Region: 866.9 (14-day average)
ICU hospital bed capacity North Central Region: 71.2% (7-day average)

Cumulative Denver positive case: 43,979

Cumulative Death from COVID-19: 426

Current public health orders and capacity restrictions for Level Red

Public health orders regarding mask wearing, gathering sizes and Level Red capacity restrictions remain in place
Click here for current public health orders in Denver
Click here for Level Red capacity restrictions

Tips for a Safe Holiday Season During COVID-19 Pandemic

The Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE) offered strategies to reduce and prevent transmission of COVID-19. Residents should plan ahead and take precautions with holiday celebrations to prevent the further spread of COVID in the community.

Residents should continue to keep up with the precautionary measures and follow all current public health orders during the holidays that have been effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

DDPHE encourages people to:

Limit social gatherings to those you live with. Don’t mix households.
Enjoy outdoor dining only with members of your household. Indoor dining is not allowed. You can also order takeout and delivery of food and beverages. Alcohol takeout and curbside service closes by 10 p.m., and alcohol delivery from restaurants and bars closes by 2 a.m. Bars remain closed.
Be cautious when consuming alcohol. Alcohol may alter judgment and make it more difficult to practice COVID-19 safety measures.
Shop during non-peak hours – generally, when stores first open, use curbside service or call ahead to find out if what you need is available, shop online or at outdoor markets. Retail is limited to 50% occupancy. Also, shop only with people from your household, keep 6 feet from others, wear your face covering, and wash or sanitize your hands often. Please support our local businesses whenever possible.
Hold virtual office parties. Encourage co-workers to dress up according to the theme of the holiday. Offices are limited to 10% occupancy.
Visit Santa Claus online since kids can’t see him in-person this year.
Avoid Christmas caroling because the virus is spread through small droplets and aerosols released into the air.If you do want to carol, please do so only with members of your own household and wear a mask.
Stay home and avoid others if you are sick.

Denver’s Response to COVID-19

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the city has taken many actions to balance public health needs with economic health needs in order to protect lives and livelihoods. Some of these actions include:

Distributed more than $20M in grants to small businesses, nonprofits, people who need help with rent and utilities, and out-of-work hotel and restaurant workers
Held 35 weekly food-giveaway and public health events, serving 410,000 families with food, free flu shots, diapers, baby food, school supplies and laptops
Stood up one of the largest mass testing sites in the state at the Pepsi Center, testing nearly 120,000 people from May to September
Opened four testing sites in underserved communities hit hardest by COVID-19
Deployed one of the country’s first mobile testing RVs for people unable to get to a testing site
Opened new 24/7 homeless shelters and secured 1,000 motel rooms so we could space out and provide social distancing in shelters without losing any bed capacity
Engaged hundreds of community members in our Economic Relief and Recovery Council, Long Term Recovery Committee, Social Safety Net Committee (SSNC) and Racial Equity Council (REC). SSNC and REC are ensuring underserved communities have access to resources and services, including testing and relief funds.

This work, and other efforts undertaken by the city since March, puts Denver in prime position for successful vaccine distribution and economic recovery over the coming months.

Denver COVID-19 Response Timeline

March 5: First confirmed cases in Denver
March 10: Cancelation of St. Patrick’s Day parade
March 12: Mayor declares state of emergency
March 13: Mayor orders city venues closed, events cancelled
March 16: Mayor announces the closure of all restaurants and bars, except airport concessioners, to onsite seating
March 23: Mayor Hancock announces Stay at Home Order
Mar 27: Denver Aligns Stay at Home Order With State of Colorado
April 6: Mayor Hancock Extends Stay at Home Order and ban on mass gatherings until April 30th
April 7: Denver expands sheltering access for people experiencing homelessness with hotel rooms and establishing an auxiliary shelter.
April 9: Mayor Hancock honors first responders and essential workers with a light display at the City and County Building
April 9: Mayor Hancock announces the extension of the 2020 Personal Property Declaration filing deadline
April 10: Mayor Hancock offers property tax relief for business and residential property owners by waiving late payment interest fees
April 23: Denver Parks & Recreation issues a temporary directive to prohibit the possession and consumption of beer, wine, and champagne in parks and other outdoor public spaces the agency manages.
April 24: Mayor Hancock extends the Stay at Home Order through May 8
April 30: Mayor Hancock sends a letter to Congress urging them to support the inclusion of direct emergency funding assistance to cities and states in the next federal stimulus bill.
May 6: Denver adopts the State’s ‘Safer at Home’ Public Health Order
May 14: Denver issues a face covering order
Aug. 6: Denver plans to release $25.6 million in federal Coronavirus Relief Funds to help support residents, works, small businesses and nonprofits
Sept. 3: Denver reminds residents double down on COVID restrictions with Labor Day ahead
Oct. 6: Denver City Council approves Mayor Hancock’s proposal to add another $1 million to the Left Behind Workers Fund to help residents who do not qualify for state, federal aid and were financially impacted by COVID-19.
Oct. 16: Denver Orders Masks in More Settings, Cuts Gatherings from 10 to 5 People
Oct. 21: Denver prepares to release a third round of federal Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) dollars to increase shelter capacity for people experiencing homelessness, provide rental assistance to 180 more Denver households, economic relief for nonprofits and businesses, childcare services for workers, and for continuation of the temporary shared streets program.
Oct. 28: Denver Offers Financial Aid to Restaurants for Costs of Expanded Outdoor Space
Nov. 6: Mayor Hancock and DDPHE executive director, Bob McDonald announce new “Home by 10” Order
Nov. 20: Denver Moves to Level Red on State’s Revised COVID-19 Dial
Nov. 20: Denver Waives Penalty for Late Payment of November Sales and Use, OPT, and Seat Taxes
Nov. 23: Denver Adds Fourth COVID-19 Testing Site to Assist in Surge of Demand
Dec. 10: City Deploys Additional $4 Million in COVID-19 Emergency Funds to Support Residents, Workers, Small Businesses
Dec. 17: City and County of Denver COVID-19 Response Update
Dec. 18: Denver Increases Aid to Restaurants for Costs of Outdoor Patios