December 9, 2021
$1.00
An edition of the Littleton Independent A publication of
VOLUME 21 | ISSUE 3
Masks not perfect, but do help, says local health chief Tri-County’s Douglas, data shed light on misconceptions BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
His local public-health department has issued another maskwearing mandate for two metroDenver counties with nearly 1.2 million people. Even so, John Douglas doesn’t hesitate to admit that masks aren’t perfect in the fight against COVID-19. “But, like vaccines, they work better when more people use them,” Douglas, executive director of the Tri-County Health Department, told Colorado Community Media. “Because, like vaccines, they can both prevent the individual from getting infected or sick,” and also can prevent spread of the virus to others, Douglas said. Tri-County Health serves Adams and Arapahoe counties, and provides certain public-health services in Douglas County. Under a Nov. 22 Tri-County order, all people 2 and older in Adams
Most on campuses are fully vaccinated, officials say BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
right on the other side of County Line Road. In the days before the COVID-19 pandemic, that dividing line hardly mattered. But in the era of mask mandates, it can make all the difference. “We’re kind of in a unique position here, where people coming from Highlands Ranch might not even realize that they’ve crossed into a new county,” Millspaugh said. “So when mask mandates and
Students, faculty and staff at Arapahoe Community College will have to show proof of vaccination or begin to undergo weekly testing for COVID-19 by Jan. 3 in order to remain on the college’s campuses in Littleton, Castle Rock and Parker. The decision came amid a surge in COVID cases throughout the state. Colorado Community College System Chancellor Joe Garcia issued a letter to college leaders on Oct. 7 instructing they take further steps to ensure their schools’ populations are protected against the virus. “Employees and students who work on campus, attend in-person classes, access support services, or participate in other activities at our colleges or system office will have the choice to provide results from regular COVID-19 testing or, alternatively, provide evidence that they are fully vaccinated,” Garcia wrote in his letter. Arapahoe Community College, with campuses in Littleton, Parker and Castle Rock, is anticpating around 5,000 students to be on campus for inperson classes come January. Stephanie Fujii, ACC’s president, said the vaccination-or-testing protocol is necessary to avoid an outbreak, which could force the college’s campus to shut down.
SEE MANDATE, P2
SEE ACC, P13
A sign read, “I don’t co-parent with the government” during an Aug. 30 protest against mask requirements at the Arapahoe County administration building in PHOTO BY ELLIS ARNOLD Littleton.
and Arapahoe County must wear a face covering in all public indoor spaces. Authorities in Jefferson, Denver and Boulder counties have issued similar mandates. With rates of new coronavirus cases recently reaching levels not seen since December of last year — and daily deaths among those with COVID-19 recently hitting numbers
higher than they did during the first wave in spring 2020 — coronavirus hospitalizations in Colorado had for months been creeping up toward last December’s peak. And while numbers so far this month suggest hospitalizations SEE MASKS, P10
At mandate’s border, masks are a game of inches Mandate in effect in Arapahoe, not in Douglas BY KYLE COOKE AND BRIAN WILLIE ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS
The one constant throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is that things are always changing. Few people know this better than Karli Millspaugh, owner of Curate: A Local Mercantile, at 8242
ACC will require COVID vaccination or testing
S. University Blvd. in Centennial. Millspaugh’s shop provides a space for local artisans and vendors to sell their goods, and November and December has historically been a great time for business due to the holiday season. “This is the time when most retail businesses get in the black,” Millspaugh said. She spoke with Rocky Mountain PBS at Curate’s brick-and-mortar location in Arapahoe County. Just steps from her shop is Douglas County and Highlands Ranch,
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5A STATE TITLE GAME Cherry Creek tops Valor in 21-0 blowout
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