COVID-19 Information

RTD’s Board of Directors recently approved a 40% reduction in service beginning April 19 in reaction to an unprecedented 70% drop in ridership amid the Coronavirus lockdowns. RTD will run buses every day on a Saturday and Regional schedule and light rail trains on a Sunday schedule. The transit service had already been suffering an operator shortage before the Coronavirus reached Colorado. Most bus and train operators have been working mandated six-day work weeks. The new schedule will go into effect on April 19^th. The Approved Service Change Plan is now available.

RTD Service Changes and Golden

RAIL

The W line from the Jeffco Government Center to Union Station will operate on a supplemented Sunday schedule.

BUS

The 16 bus route will operate as follows:

• Weekdays: Saturday service schedule with no service between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m.
• Saturdays: No service between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m.
• Sundays: No service between 12:30 a.m. and 5 a.m.

The 16L will not operate at all during the COVID -19 service plan change.

The Regional GS bus line that runs between the Federal Center and Boulder, through Golden, will limit to two trips in the morning, and two in the afternoon during peak hours each way on weekdays.

ACCESS-A-RIDE & FOOD DELIVERY

Food Delivery service is available to Access-a-Ride customers. You are still able to book trips for essential purposes, including to purchase groceries. RTD now offers grocery pickup to your home from select locations. You must call or go online to set up your order and pickup time yourself. Visit Access-a-Ride for more information.

JCPH: March 26, 2020 - Boulder County Public Health, Jefferson County Public Health and Tri-County Health Department applaud Gov. Polis and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment for issuing a Stay at Home PublicHealth Order effective Mar. 26 to protect the health and safety of our communities.

After much discussion and consideration, our three local health departments have decided to rescind our local level Orders and formally adopt the state’s Order. We believe this action will ensure social distancing requirements are consistent across the state, and that our communities are not confused by multiple Orders.

• Jefferson County Public Health’s official notice
• More information about the state’s order

For general questions about COVID-19: Community members can call CO-HELP at 303-389-1687 or 1-877-462-2911, or email COHELP@RMPDC.org for answers in English, Spanish, Mandarin and more.

For more information about COVID-19 in your county:

• Boulder County
• Jefferson County
• Adams,Arapahoe and Douglas Counties

CENTENNIAL: March 25, 2020 - Gov. Polis announced a statewide stay-at-home order beginning on Thursday, March 26 at 6:00 a.m. and will last until April 11, 2020. The Governor also provided an update on the state’s response to COVID-19 and actions taken to limit the spread of the virus.

“Coloradans are living through a global pandemic and this decision was made to help save lives,” said Governor Jared Polis. “We will continue doing everything we can to get the resources Colorado needs to address COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of all Coloradans. In true Colorado spirit, we’re seeing our friends, family and neighbors rise to the challenge, donating their time, money or extra supplies to support relief efforts at the state and local levels. We are in this together and this is the season to stay at home to save lives.”

This executive order means Coloradans should not be leaving their homes except for critical activities including:

· Obtaining food and other household necessities including medicine

· Going to and from work if you are a critical employee

· Seeking medical care

· Caring for dependents or pets

· Caring for a vulnerable person in another location

· Cannabis and liquor stores will remain open

· Or participating in outdoor recreation at a legally-mandated safe distance of six feet or more from other parties

• Read the full executive order
• Read the FAQs
• Read the public health order
• Watch the press conference

Colorado continues facing a shortage of resources in addressing this pandemic, which is why the Governor sent a letter to the Trump administration urging the president to declare a Major Disaster for the State of Colorado. A major disaster declaration would free up resources for medical care, housing, unemployment assistance, crisis counseling, hazard mitigation and more. California, Washington and New York have received these declarations.

While the state is facing a shortage of resources, Coloradans are stepping up to try and fill the gap. More than 7,000 Coloradans have already signed up to volunteer on www.helpcoloradonow.org, nearly 1,300 of which have medical training. The Colorado COVID Relief Fund has also raised more than $7 million since launching late last week.

Gov. Polis requested and received dual-status commander authority to ensure unity of command, allowing regular, federal military units to be controlled by a single commander representing the Governor. This will help to eliminate confusion and conflict and allow the state to streamline the utilization of military personnel in this response.

The Governor announced that the state lab has eliminated its backlog and there will be new labs coming online at the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, University Hospital, and Children’s Hospital. The Governor thanked CSU and CU for their willingness to test the personal protective equipment the private sector is ramping up that the state needs now.

Governor Polis also provided an update on the federal stimulus package which included $377 billion for small business loans and grants, $1200 in direct cash assistance to Americans based on income eligibility.

The Governor also provided an update on the Innovation Response Team, introducing two new members: Lucy Sanders and Tim Miller. Lucy is theCEO and a co-founder of the National Center for Women & Information Technologyand will head up Isolation Services. The objective is to provide people who are in self-isolation or home quarantine with critical supplies like food and access to health care, and also ancillary services to make their at-home experience as comfortable as possible. Tim Miller is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rally Software and will head the Software Development Team. The objective is to build applications and web sites for both government and citizens to manage all aspects of the crisis, and provide the state with key data.

The Governor also noted that the Innovation Response Team is working as hard as they can to identify manufacturers and supply chains, but urged the private sector to help in this effort.

DENVER, March 20, 2020: The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is sending testing resources to specific communities that have not yet had testing that will yield vital information about how the disease is spreading. CDPHE is also strongly advising the public: If you have symptoms (fever, cough, and shortness of breath), don’t wait for a test to self-isolate.

The State is expanding testing to include a temporary drive-through site at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds at 10165 County Road 120, Salida, CO on Saturday, March 21. The Colorado National Guard and Chaffee County Public Health are supporting these efforts. Chaffee County residents who are symptomatic and have a doctor’s order can show up between noon and 4 p.m. for the test.

People who come to be tested should know and do the following:

• Testing is free. Proof of insurance is not required.
• Bring a written or electronic copy of the doctor’s order. Individuals should not go to their doctor’s office but should call to get an emailed or faxed copy of the order. Bring a form of photo ID (driver’s license, school ID, work badge, etc.) that matches the name on the doctor’s order.
• If there are multiple people in one vehicle, each person to be tested must have their own doctor’s order.
• The first 100 people in the queue will have access to the drive-up testing; all other vehicles that arrive after that will be encouraged to seek testing from a private provider. Always call ahead and speak with the health care facility in advance before going there for testing or treatment.
• Individuals will drive through a secured area and will remain in their vehicles throughout the entire testing process.
• Be prepared for long wait times. No restrooms will be available. Bring water and other items to be comfortable while waiting.
• Telephonic interpretation will be available for speakers of other languages.

CDPHE also plans to send testing resources to other locations next week. CDPHE is prioritizing testing in areas that have not been highly tested to better understand where the disease is occurring and respond. These sites will serve high-risk patients who have been pre-selected by area health care providers. They will not accept walk-up or drive-up patients.

The state health department is also strongly advising that if you have mild symptoms, stay home and avoid contact with others. Call your health care provider only if your illness becomes more severe, especially if you are experiencing shortness of breath. If you have a medical emergency, call 911 and tell the dispatcher your symptoms. People who are not at high risk of severe illness may not need to be evaluated in person or tested for COVID-19. Not everyone with symptoms will be tested right away.

If you have mild symptoms, suspect you were exposed, and are either unable to get tested or waiting on test results, please stay home and isolate yourself until:

• You have had no fever for at least 72 hours (without the use of medicine) AND
• Other symptoms (cough, shortness of breath) have improved AND
• At least 7 days have passed since your symptoms first appeared.

Anyone in your household you have had close contact with (within six feet for approximately 10 minutes) should self-quarantine for 14 days, even if you haven’t been tested for COVID-19.

Continue to stay up to date by visiting covid19.colorado.gov.

JCPH - March 19, 2020:

• As of March 19, the CDC reports there have been 10,442 cases of COVID-19 in 54 jurisdictions in the U.S. (50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands). There have been 150 deaths in the U.S. to date.
• Community transmission is increasing across Colorado.
• There have been 216 cases ofCOVID-19 in Colorado. There have been two confirmed fatalities.
• There have been 24 cases of COVID-19 in Jefferson County. Information is updated on the Jeffco page daily around 5 p.m.
• On March 18, JCPH, in collaboration with Jefferson County, issued a local public health order on the temporary closure of restaurants, bars and county buildings. This is aligned with the state’s order issued earlier this week.
• On March 18, in accordance with CDC guidelines, CDPHE issued a public health order prohibiting gatherings of 10 or more people.
• The Governor signed an executive order suspending in-person learning in public andprivate schools across the state from March 23 to April 17.
• Jeffco departments have rallied to help compile new information and resources! The JCPH COVID-19 webpage has a few new sections:
  o COVID-19 Case Summary
  o Closure Information (Includes info about county and public health ordered closures).
  o Info for Public Health Partners & Businesses (Technical guidance and support for restaurants, childcares and more).
  o Jeffco Community Resources