DENVER – With the number of new coronavirus cases appearing to be slowing in Denver, officials are looking at whether it is time to start phasing out restrictions aimed at stemming the spread of the virus, Mayor Michael Hancock said Monday.
He said the city will consult with Gov. Jared Polis and the leaders of Denver area cities, including public health officials, over the next week as it looks to decide whether to extend its stay-at-home order, due to expire on April 30. That’s four days after the state’s order. Hancock warned that some restrictions, including a ban on large gatherings, would remain for some time.
“This will be a different summer for those of us here in Denver, Colorado,” he said.
Key to the city’s decision will be two things needed to quickly contain any new cases – testing and staff to investigate who else may have had contact with anyone who tests positive.
The city would need to test an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people a week in order to relax restrictions, far more than the hundreds of tests conducted in the city last week, said Bob McDonald, executive director of the city’s Department of Public Health and Environment.
As of Monday, 444 people have died of the coronavirus in Colorado. There have been 10,098 confirmed cases – including about 1,750 in Denver – but the state health department estimates that between 65,000 and 75,000 people have been infected with the virus statewide based on its internal modeling.
In Denver, 80% of its hospital beds and a third of its intensive care unit beds and nearly two thirds of the ventilators in the city were available for use Monday, Hancock said.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.
