Rare sightings of Mount Kenya from Nairobi and the Himalayas from areas of northern India which have not been seen in decades owing to pollution are a wonderful spectacle. They are the result of a near-global lockdown to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, which has emptied city streets of people, cars and buses. The need for transport is dwindling as people stay at home as instructed. While the reduced greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution are a bonus, public transport needs to be supported to ensure it does not become a casualty of the pandemic.
Mayor Michael Hancock won’t be extending the city’s stay-at-home order, which is set to expire after Friday.
Via discussed the transportation they have been providing in the Boulder area during quarantine. Via is currently delivering food from grocery stores, food shares, and farmers markets. They are also dropping off prescriptions from local stores and still providing rides for essential trips like doctors visits.
Have feedback on the coronavirus pandemic and RTD? Please share your thoughts by completing a short survey. It is vital to hear from riders and the general public as RTD considers how to get the region moving while keeping everyone safe. Read more
Colorado Governor Jared Polis and Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announced on Monday, April 27, 2020, their respective states are joining California, Oregon and Washington in the Western States Pact — a working group of Western state governors with a shared vision for modifying stay at home orders and fighting COVID-19. Read more
The Electeds Town Hall meeting with representation from Central, East Central, and Southeast Denver focused on updates from each of the representatives and featured an update from Dr. Bill Burman with Denver Health.
Some of the more notable updates were:
- RTD – rear boarding is currently happening, and RTD is still fare free (most likely until June 1st)
- City council is slowly starting to move to a more typical representation of how they do business
- They are getting back on track while maintaining safety
- They are balancing a safe re-entry with limiting economic distress
- Silver lining – This is a time to reflect on the impacts of quarantine and decide which direction we want the city & state to go in the future
- State level
- May 18th is the official re-start of the legislative session
- The big focus will be on budget cuts due to COVID-19
Dr. Bill Burman gave the following updates & information:
- Where we currently are
- 3,000 confirmed cases
- 120 new cases / day
- 175 deaths in Denver
- We know the true rate is much higher (some guess 3-10 times higher)
- 90% of population remains susceptible
- There is a greater risk among the Latin and African American populations
- Older populations are more susceptible
- If you believe long term care facilities are not getting what they need – contact The Department of Public Health & Environment (DPHE)
- Denver Health (and other hospitals) report they are busy but not overwhelmed
- Social distancing IS working
- The next phase for doctors is getting back to non-emergent medical visits
- New goal is better and more testing
- Denver’s goal: 1,100 test/day
- Contact tracing is starting
- They are working on scaling up to be able to do all this testing & tracing
- Best guess – life will look similar to what we have now for another 6-12 months
- Keep a 10 person social bubble
Next meeting is May 14th @ 4:00PM. Find sign up information on Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer’s Facebook page.
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