As Boulder County officials reported five new coronavirus-related deaths Friday and 13 new cases, they also announced the 17 cases reported in the past three days involved people who reported attending parties in the Hill neighborhood between May 25 and June 4 in Boulder or a protest on June 5.
In a news release Friday, health officials noted that some of those newly infected also reported ill household members and recent travel. Officials urged anyone who may have attended a party in the Hill neighborhood or the protest march in Boulder on these dates or who believes they may have been within six feet for 10 minutes or more with someone who has COVID-19 to immediately quarantine for 14 days since the last exposure, to monitor for symptoms, and to get tested for COVID-19.
Public health spokeswoman Chana Goussetis confirmed in an email that the protest some of the people who tested positive for coronavirus had reported attending was one organized by University of Colorado Boulder coaches and athletes in response to the death of George Floyd, a black man who died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck while arresting him.
Health officials could not say how many of the individuals attended any of the specified events.
Carol Helwig, Boulder County Public Health Communicable Disease Control program manager, said it’s important anyone at these events follow the outlined steps to prevent the spread of the virus to others.
“This is exactly how the virus quickly gets out of control. Anyone who had a known exposure at one of these events should quarantine for 14 days following the exposure to avoid spreading illness to others in our community,” Helwig said in the release.
The release also stated the department will partner with University of Colorado Boulder and the city of Boulder to increase education and outreach and to work to increase monitoring and enforcement in the Hill area, including pursuing civil action against those who host an unauthorized gathering. Anyone who witnesses a large gathering of non-household members is encouraged to contact the city’s police dispatch while the event is occurring by calling 303-441-4444.
CU Boulder Chancellor Phil DiStefano addressed the new cases in a letter to students, faculty and staff late Friday.
“This concentration of cases could have likely been prevented if those involved — particularly those hosting and attending parties — had followed public health orders,” DiStefano wrote. “We all need to live up to our responsibilities, as some students are putting their own health and their own and other students’ on-campus educational opportunities in jeopardy by engaging in behaviors that imperil the health and safety of our entire community.”
CU Boulder “will not stand idly by” if students do not follow public health requirements, DiStefano said. The campus will work to educate students, as well as refer students who may have violated public health orders to the student conduct process. The university is in the process of updating its code of conduct to require students to comply with public health orders on and off campus.
The 17 people newly infected were all in their late teens and twenties, according to the release. In Boulder County, the greatest number of cases have continued to be among the 20 to 29 age group. While illness among people of this age is generally mild, many who have become ill from COVID-19 describe a painful and long illness and recovery, the release said.
Health officials encouraged people who were exposed to seek testing as soon as symptoms develop. Anyone who may have been exposed but does not yet have symptoms should consider testing approximately seven days after exposure, which may detect pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic infections, the release said.
CU Boulder students who may have been exposed can be tested by the Boulder Medical Services by calling 303-492-5101. Residents can also contact their own health care provider to arrange testing, or contact an independent testing site. Free testing is also available at the City of Denver drive-up testing site at the Pepsi Center, according to the news release, but those seeking tests must pre-register at bit.ly/3fkGDNb.
After large numbers of people were seen crowding Boulder Creek in Eben G. Fine Park in late May, Boulder closed the park land and creek bed. On Friday, Goussetis said, “none of our disease investigations with any of the newly diagnosed individuals since that date have indicated attending the Eben G. Fine gathering.”
County health officials in the release reminded people of the Public Health Order 20-28, also known as “Safer at Home in the Vast, Great Outdoors,” which requires non-household members to maintain six feet of distance from each other at all times.
To date, there have been 68 deaths in Boulder County. Goussetis said the five deaths reported Friday involved people who had been in long-term care facilities. She noted that their deaths are not new and occurred in late April and May. There have been 1,042 people who have tested positive or probable for the virus. Of those, 170 have been hospitalized and 490 have recovered. The county has 182 disease investigation in progress, according to Boulder County Public Health data.
Statewide, there have been 28,822 people who have tested positive or are presumed positive for the virus. Of those, 5,234 people have been hospitalized. There have been 1,595 deaths among cases and of those, there have been 1,348 deaths directly related to the virus. Of Colorado’s more than 5.7 million population, 236,461 people have been tested.
Staff Writer Katie Langford contributed to this report.
