Mayor: Cases must fall or else

Recent reopenings in city might need to be reconsidered

Denver’s coronavirus numbers are moving in the wrong direction, and if the trend continues, Mayor Michael Hancock said Friday, he will be forced to roll back recent reopenings.

“We have lost a little ground in our fight against COVID-19,” Hancock said in a news conference. “We cannot amplify enough that this is the time for us not to lose the momentum that we’ve fought and sacrificed so hard to gain.”

About 2,000 people are tested for the virus in Denver each day, Hancock said. And recently the positivity rate has increased from 3% to 4.5%. Hospitalizations in the city have hit about 72% of capacity.

The statistics are increasing all across the state, as Gov. Jared Polis stressed Thursday, and the supply of tests has been limited.

On Friday, the state health department announced 666 new coronavirus infections, bringing the statewide total since March to 36,191.

State officials said the large daily increase is partly the result of a backlog of tests that were just processed. While testing has increased, the state also is seeing more test results come back positive, meaning the rise in infections is not just the result of more testing.

Public health officials have said the rise in COVID-19 cases over the past month is from Coloradans having more interactions with one another.

In particular, coronavirus infections have increased among younger Coloradans after social gatherings.

Hospitalizations also began increasing last week for the first time in months. On Friday, 211 people were hospitalized with confirmed coronavirus infections, the highest number since June 5.

“The amount of growth we are seeing right now is slower than what we experienced in the spring,” said Dr. Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist.

Five more people have died from COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths directly attributed to the virus to 1,586. In all, 1,724 people have died with the novel coronavirus in their systems.

While there are other metrics to be considered, if positive test rates increase to 7% and hospitals reach 90% capacity in Denver, “we’ll have to consider pausing or rolling back our reopening,” Hancock said.

Denver is still reeling from the first shutdown that began in March, and a second would “absolutely topple many of our businesses,” Hancock said.

Hancock said the city must work hand in hand with state leadership, underscoring Polis’ message to residents Thursday to “wear a damn mask.”

“I know it sounds like a broken record, so let me try a little differently,” Hancock said. “#coverup, #maskup.”

Hancock reminded residents that the face coverings are required in Denver whenever people are in public places, businesses, government buildings and more. He asked people also to avoid large groups and to maintain social distancing measures.

Despite a harmful national narrative, Hancock said, face coverings are an objective and scientific way of curbing the spread of the virus.

“This is about humanity,” he said. “We’ve got to stop playing this silly game of partisan politics.”

Public Health Director Bob McDonald added that Denver will ramp up enforcement of its face covering requirement and issue summonses to people in violation.

“We don’t want to conduct enforcement, but if that’s what we need to gain a high level of compliance, that’s what we’re going to do,” McDonald said.