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March 19, 2020
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303-469-7873 • aquaserve4u.com Denver resident Sam Sherer shops for soup at a King Soopers in Englewood. He said he is concerned about COVID-19 and has been washing his hands frequently and working on not touching his face. The store’s canned goods shelves were scarce. PHOTOS BY JOSEPH RIOS
‘The panic is here’ in stores around area Locals scramble for essential items amid outbreak of novel coronavirus BY NICK PUCKETT NPUCKETT@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Lori Gifford approached the milk refrigerator at the back of a King Soopers Marketplace in Parker and scanned the empty shelves that once held a variety of products, looking for organic milk to no avail. The King Soopers at 117761 Cottonwood Drive was bustling with shoppers stocking up on food March 13. Entire aisles of products were decimated as workers carried cardboard boxes up and down walkways to replenish what they could. A lifelong Coloradan from Parker
A sign that hangs on the shelves inside the King Soopers at 3495 S. University Blvd. The store is limiting the amount of goods residents can purchase as it continues to lack items like toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer, soap and more. and a health care professional, Gifford said she has never seen a reaction like this to a contagion. The
Schools close temporarily to slow COVID-19 Englewood district is aiming to reopen on March 30 BY JOSEPH RIOS JRIOS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
number of COVID-19 cases continued to rise in Colorado and throughout the United States, prompting schools to close and events to be canceled. “The panic is here, and that’s what we have to deal with now,” Gifford said. “They exited Douglas County Schools now, so we have to plan for family being home and eating.” Grocery stores and supermarkets throughout the Denver metro area were quickly running out of certain products, including toilet paper, hand sanitizer and cleansing wipes. As the spread of the novel coronavirus forced school closures and event cancellations and prompted employers to encourage work-fromhome options, people began scouring shelves for essential food items as well. Shelves with items such as flour, milk, dog food, bread and
Englewood Schools announced that all of its schools will be closed starting March 16 with an estimated reopening date of March 30 after spring break wraps up the week of March 23. The district also announced all of its activities, events, sports and field trips are suspended from March 13 to April 5 as the situation with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to evolve. In Englewood Schools, all kindergarten and first-grade students have iPads issued to them by the district while all students in grades two to 12 are issued Chromebooks. But Mandy Braun, Englewood Schools director of safety and security, said having online courses or learning is a complex task to carry out. She said the school district is looking at ways to provide learning resources for students and families that do not create unintentional barriers to access and opportunity. “If a family does not have internet connectivity in their home, then that
SEE STORES, P7
SEE SCHOOLS, P6
THE BOTTOM LINE PERIODICAL
“We are likely on the verge of a tipping point where we will see more community spread. This will get worse before it gets better.” Gov. Jared Polis, on COVID-19 in Colorado | Page 3 INSIDE
VOICES: PAGE 12 | LIFE: PAGE 17 | CALENDAR: PAGE 20
EnglewoodHerald.net
VOLUME 100 | ISSUE 4