COVID-19 Information

Jefferson County Board of Health Votes to Rescind PHO 21-006

During a public special Jefferson County Board of Health meeting held virtually on February 10, the Jefferson County Board of Health voted to rescind Public Health Order 21-006, the public health order requiring the use of masks in all public, indoor settings, including school and childcare settings, effective Feb. 11, 2022 at 11:59 p.m.

You can read the full press release for more information.

Colorado launches new COVID-19 vaccine hotline

REMOTE, (Jan. 25, 2021): Today, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment launched a new call center for the public to ask questions specifically about the COVID-19 vaccine. Now through the end of January, the vaccine call center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 10 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Beginning Feb. 1, hours will extend to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The new toll-free number is 1-877-CO VAX CO (1-877-268-2926).

Connect for Health Colorado® is operating Colorado’s COVID-19 Call Center

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is partnered with Connect for Health Colorado® to provide Coloradans with a call center that has support services for COVID-19 testing and containment results. The “COVID Results” Call Center opened on Nov. 19, 2020 and has placed more than 228,000 calls.

The COVID-19 Call Center staff provide outbound call support to deliver COVID-19 test results. The call center is also open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and provides information and guidance in English and Spanish, as well as in other languages using an interpretation service.

State launches BinaxNOW rapid home test program for Colorado schools

As part of ongoing efforts to keep in-person learning as safe as possible, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has developed a new at-home COVID-19 testing program for teachers, staff, and selected students at participating schools. The program is intended to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in schools by allowing symptomatic and exposed individuals to get tested quickly and easily.

Learn more in the press release below.

New CommUNITY campaign seeks to make help easier to find

Jefferson County Community Partners has launched the new CommUNITY campaign in an effort to connect people in need during the pandemic with community resources and assistance available under one easy-to-access hub.

Resources include food assistance, layoff support, unemployment assistance, work opportunities, housing, mental wellness support, childcare access, assistance for populations including pregnant women, children, and aging adults, and more.

The CommUNITY campaign also encourages neighbors to safely check in on each other and share information about services they may not know exist. Information is also available to connect locals to volunteer opportunities with one of the many community partners supporting those in need.

For more information and to access resources, visit www.jeffco.us/community or call 2-1-1. Information is available in English and Spanish at at www.jeffco.us/comunidad

An Important COVID-19 Message from the City of Golden

We’ve previously shared recommendations and best practices from public health agencies on protecting yourself from exposure to the COVID-19 virus. We encourage you to continue to pay attention to those recommendations and monitor advice from CDC and local health agencies, as guidance is changing based on the evolving nature of the COVID-19 outbreak.

In addition to the general guidance on protecting oneself from COVID-19 exposure, the City has been actively working with State and local public health officials and implementing recommended measures to help minimize the risk to the Golden community and to our employees. In addition, we have developed contingency plans for our critical operations should the COVID-19 situation further deteriorate.

Here are some of the actions we have taken to date:

(not in any particular order of importance):

Closures

• City Hall is now open without need of an appointment. Please see our Status of City Services page for a detailed list of facilities and services that are open, will open soon, and what remains closed.
• We are in contact with the Jefferson County Health Department and Colorado Department of Health and Environment to ensure we take action on closures of facilities when it is recommended. Please watch for updates that we will post on Facebook and here on Guiding Golden.

Public Safety

• The Police Department is strongly encouraging everyone to utilize the online reporting tool, which can be found at: cityofgolden.seamlessdocs.com/f/GPDOnlineReporting. This online reporting tool is simple to use on your mobile device, tablet, or computer. You can even upload photos or documents directly from your phone. Online reporting is NOT to be used for EMERGENCIES, crimes in progress, or where suspect information is known. In case of EMERGENCY call 911 or for NON-emergencies call JeffCom Communications Center at (303) 980-7300.
• The Golden Police Department is now on ACCIDENT ALERT until further notice in an effort to limit exposure to COVID-19 and maintain staffing for emergencies. During this time, police will generally not be dispatched to property damage collisions where the vehicles are movable, but there are exceptions. Please only ask for Police assistance if the accident involves the following: injury and/or death; suspected drug or alcohol use; hit and run; cars are blocking the roadway or causing a safety hazard; involves public vehicle or property.
  For those incidents that do NOT apply, an online report may be made through the online accident reporting tool.
• The Golden Fire and Police Departments have implemented new protocols for responding to suspected cases of COVID-19 or other illnesses resembling COVID-19. Personnel will wear additional personal protective equipment. Our 9-1-1 dispatch center is advising responding crews of potential calls resembling COVID-19. In those cases, only one member of a responding crew will make initial contact with an individual for assessment while other members standby at a distance. This is a practice most public safety departments are implementing to prevent over exposure to first responders.
• Golden Fire Department has been in touch with all of our nursing home and senior care facilities and has shared Golden Fire Department protocols as well as information regarding best practices. Golden Fire has discussed the importance of facility planning with each of these entities.
• The Golden Police Department is working closely with the Sheriff’s Office and other police agencies to ensure adequate coverage arrangements are made should the situation deteriorate.

Water

• There is no immediate risk to Golden’s public water supply from COVID-19. Nevertheless, we have been in touch with public water experts and will be prepared to implement recommendations, if any, made by public health officials and the public water industry. City of Golden staff have prepared to continue to operate our water treatment facility remotely should we encounter staffing challenges.

Budget

• We recognize there will be an obvious economic impact created by the COVID-19 outbreak. Department Directors are limiting all non-essential City expenditures until further notice. The City has adequate reserve funds for these types of emergencies, but nevertheless, conservative spending is prudent until the budget impact of COVID-19 is fully understood.

Communication

• The City maintains close contact with county officials to coordinate actions.
• Initially, we posted COVID-19 information on the City of Golden’s homepage, but have since moved all updates and information here to this page.

Cleaning Guidelines

• We’ve implemented enhanced cleaning protocols in city facilities. Our employees will be wiping down work stations and high-touch points in public areas several times throughout each day.

What you can expect moving forward:

• We will continue to monitor public health agency recommendations on public gatherings and other guidance specific to government agencies. If there are changes to City operations or specific actions that impact the Golden community, we will notify the community of these actions.
• We will provide updates to the Golden community on a regular basis moving forward.

How you can Help:

• Be diligent about your own hygiene practices and follow CDC and public health recommendations for limiting the spread of COVID-19. Limiting the reach of COVID-19 is a community effort!
• Pay attention to and have an awareness of changing guidance and recommendations from CDC and public health officials. The spread of COVID-19 is a very fluid, fast-changing situation and recommendation may change often.
• Check on the well-being of your neighbors, especially the elderly, to ensure they have the resources and supplies they need to sustain a lengthy period of time at home.

Many of our local small businesses may struggle to make ends meet during these uncertain times. To the extent you can support them without compromising safety, please do so! Go to VisitGolden.com for a list of take-out and delivery restaurants in Golden and ways to Shop Local without leaving home.