Denver imposes restrictions for campuses to curb spike

Universities in Denver must screen students, faculty, staff, vendors and other guests daily and bar anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, among other restrictions announced by city officials Thursday in reaction to rising case numbers.

College students are driving a recent spike in the coronavirus in Denver, Mayor Michael Hancock said, and if those increases continue city officials will impose additional restrictions.

“We’ve got to recognize this is different, this year is different and students have to take these public health measures seriously,” Hancock said.

Universities now must notify the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment of all positive cases within 24 hours, said Public Health Director Bob Mcdonald. They must also more strictly enforce facecovering mandates, which now extend to all student athletes, coaches, trainers and more.

Athletes, coaches and support staff must wear face coverings during practices, games and travel, Mcdonald said. Those rules also apply to all teams visiting Denver.

If a single positive case is confirmed for a team, that sport’s programming must be suspended until further notice and city health officials will determine whether teammates must be quarantined or isolated, he said.

At the moment, those rules don’t necessarily apply to high school or professional sports teams because they’re not a leading source of new cases like college students, Mcdonald said. However, that could change in time.

“We’ve seen outbreaks on teams, being spread from team member to team member,” Mcdonald said, noting that he doesn’t want the problem to reach the point of suspending all athletics.

The city also is requiring access to college dormitories to be limited solely to residents and essential personnel, Mcdonald said. Cutting down on unnecessary visits between dorms should help to curb potential spread of the virus.

“I hope we don’t have to issue a summons to universities and college students,” Mcdonald said. “If enforcement is necessary to get compliance, then that’s what we’ll do.”

The new restrictions apply to all institutions of higher education in the city, including Metropolitan State University of Denver, the University of Colorado Denver, the University of Denver and Regis University. Local schools didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Should the newest mandates not work in curbing the spread, Mcdonald said his department will consider additional requirements, which could include quarantine and isolation orders, requiring virtual classes and another stay-at-home order.