July 30, 2020
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An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of
VOLUME 19 | ISSUE 33
SPECIAL REPORT
Colorado’s public health officials are under attack Workers face threats, vandalism, job loss amid COVID-19 crisis BY JESSICA GIBBS | COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA AND JESSE PAUL | THE COLORADO SUN
Joni Reynolds, the head of Gunnison County’s public health department, entered kind of a routine as the coronavirus crisis descended on Colorado earlier this year: Long hours. Sleepless nights. A police escort home. A wave of threats over her efforts to keep her community safe amid the pandemic made her fear for her safety. There were also suspicious packages left outside her house and sent to her office, both of which were unsettling but weren’t dangerous. “References to Nazism. Calling me Mrs. Hitler,” Reynolds said, recounting the contents of the hate mail she received. “Calling me vile names — curse words. Threatening harm to me, my family, my home. Assuring they would remove me from my job and take ‘all my worldly possessions.’” SEE OFFICIALS, P4
Exemption from COVID-19 rules, which allowed larger crowds, is at risk of being revoked BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
conditions and guidance from the State of Colorado and the TriCounty Health Department and will make adjustments to the plan if necessary” and communicate that to families, Smith said. Denver Public Schools on July 17 announced plans to start the school year in fully remote learning and that the first day of remote school for most students will be Aug. 24.
As the spread of coronavirus worsens in Arapahoe County, leaders hope businesses that benefited from an exemption to the state’s social distancing rules will take greater precautions to prevent losing progress on reopening. “We need your cooperation and assistance to help reverse the trend by encouraging your staff and patrons to follow the established variance guidelines as closely as possible,” says a letter from the county to the industries that were included in the exemption. Those are gyms, restaurants, houses of worship and the county’s only indoor mall — the Town Center at Aurora, near East Alameda Avenue and Interstate 225. Also known as a “variance,” the exception allows counties around the state to tweak the state’s restrictions on activities and businesses in Colorado’s safer-at-home order, the policy that came after the stay-athome order. In mid-July, about one-fourth of Colorado’s counties stood to lose
SEE PLANS, P8
SEE VARIANCE, P7
Health workers collect patient information from people waiting to be tested for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, outside the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s lab in Denver’s Lowry neighborhood on March 11. PHOTO BY JOHN INGOLD/THE COLORADO SUN
Cherry Creek’s fall start plans still uncertain District ‘will continue to monitor conditions’ BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The Cherry Creek School District in late June announced plans to offer in-person classes five days a week for all students, with online learning for families who want to opt out for
Arapahoe County asks for businesses’ help in saving variance
any reason. But starting off the year in-person isn’t a certainty. The district plans to start Aug. 17 both for in-person and online classes, spokeswoman Abbe Smith said July 22. But the impact of the virus in Arapahoe County will determine whether students that signed up for in-person class will start the school year physically in schools or in remote at-home class, according to the district’s website. “We will continue to monitor
INSIDE: VOICES: PAGE 10 | LIFE: PAGE 12
WHO’S THE BEST? PERIODICAL
Here’s our annual look at the region’s best businesses, services, attractions and more, as chosen by our readers.
INSIDE THIS EDITION