SENTINEL EXPRESS C O M M E R C E
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SSUE 48 15 iIssue
TUESDAY APRIL 13, 2021 tuesday , n,oVember 24, 2020
Tri-County Health New COVID-19 restrictions will prohibit indoor dining,leads personal Big-time project to gatherings amends mask order to
big-time award for BHS grad
apply to indoors only, adds expiration date
Mask order now to remain in place until June 30 rather than ‘for the duration of pandemic’
BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The life of Brighton High School graduate Angel Mollel began to change earlier this year, thanks to her dad and her volunteer work. He nominated Mollel for a Denver television station’s Remarkable Women of Colorado contest. BY ELLIS ARNOLD “I didn’t even know that he did it EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM until I received a phone call from the KDVR station, telling me that I made The local public health agency for it to the top four,” she said. “KDVR did Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counnot single out any of my projects. They ties amended its mask-wearing order were interested in the journey that to remove the requirement that masks helped me get to where I am and the be worn in outdoor public spaces, the work that 1Love does. They were just agency announced in an April 5 news amazed with everything that we have release. been able to do so far.” The Tri-County Health DepartThe word came from the TV station ment also announced that the order is April 1. expected to remain in place until June “They announced that I won within 30, adding what may be a definite end the four women,” Mollel said. “Because to the requirement. Previously, the of my journey from a Maasai village agency had extended its order “for the (in Tanzania) to the United States and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic,” my work in 1Love, I was blessed with according to an Oct. 20 news release. this award.” “Until every person has had the op1Love is her long-distance effort to portunity to get the COVID-19 vaccine, help residents of her village. many in our communities remain at “I have always wanted to help my vilrisk for serious illness from this vilage ever since I arrived in the States in rus,” John Douglas, executive director 2012, and I did indeed help them since of Tri-County Health, said in the April 2012,” she said. “But in 2018, we finally 5 news release. “By continuing to wear gave all the work a name. I decided that face coverings, we can protect our since I am helping my village every friends and loved ones and minimize day, I should give the service a name. the impact that outbreaks have on our My friends and I thought about startschools and businesses.” ing a nonprofit; then my father helped Gov. Jared Polis in early April exme come up with the name 1Love.” tended the state’s mask-wearing order Mollel said her most important projfor another but Tri-County ect is educating children.site at A long line 30 ofdays, cars outside the city of Brighton’s rapid testing Health’s order would apply for longer “Because like Tony (her dad, Tony Riverdale Regional Park. The site has had to close early many days in recent than that if Polis allows the state weekstodue to high order expire first. demand. Adams County’s 14-day test positivity rate According to modeling done17,byaccording the was 15.9 percent, as of Nov. to Tri-County Health Department. Colorado of Public Health in positivity rates were both higher than Brighton School and Commerce City’s test the last week of March, roughly 27% 13 percent. Forty-five people in Brighton and 29 in Commerce City have of Coloradans are currently immune died from COVID-19 related health to COVID-19 “due to vaccination and/issues. To limit the spread of COVID-19, or infection,” news to release at prior least 15 countiesthe moved tighter restrictions that prohibits indoor and said. personal gatherings. “While about 68% of Coloradans age 65 years and older are estimated to be immune and hospitalizations of older adults has declined, modeling Photo by Belen Ward suggests that continuing to maintain
Tony Matteroli and Angel Mollel. COURTESY PHOTO Matteroli) did for me, I want to give the children a chance to have bright futures, big dreams and a chance to help their families in the future,” she said. “Education is changing many Maasai lives, I am just providing Byand Ellis Arnold the means to access it.” Community Media There’sColorado a personal reward, too, for
Mollel, who is a freshman at the University of Colorado. “The most rewarding part for me is seeing all the changes in the village and people being aware of Maasai People the 1Love organization,” county and is required to follow based on the she said.of a county’s local virus spread. severity
As Denver metro counties continue to inch closer to local stay-at-home orders under Colorado’s system of coronavirusrelated restrictions, the state announced Commerce City won’t rush to get a a newchanging level of rules indooris plan howthat theprohibits City Council dining and personal gatherings — a elected in front of voters this Novemchange that applies to the majority ber, councilors agreed at an Aprilof5the study Denversession. metro area and many counties in A majority other regions. of councilors agreed that a vote to change Commerce City’s four The state’s dial, which has City Council COVID-19 wards in favor of eight been in effect since September, is the set wards or residency districts can wait of different levels 2023. of restrictions that each until November
The dial grew out of the state’s safer-athome order — the policy that came after the statewide stay-at-home order this spring and allowed numerous types of businesses to reopen. to rush this,” City Councilor Meghan The state recently switched to good color Grimes said. “I think we need identifiers — levels blue, yellow and feedback from the community and we orangetime rather than numbered levels — to need to make sure we are making aavoid goodconfusion. decision Until aboutNov. reorganizing 17, level red our districts.” meant a stay-at-home order. Now, level Councilor Jose Guardiola was the red —Councilor “severe risk” — is the only to speak in secondfavor of
District vote will wait until 2023
Councilors agree that vote on reorganizing council districts needs time for research
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