Coronavirus news and updates from Colorado Springs, the Pikes Peak region, and elsewhere in Colorado and the U.S.
The latest numbers from the state (updated Sept. 28):
•69,490 cases, including 6,987 in El Paso County
•7,530 hospitalized
•894,996 people tested
•2,044 deaths among all cases, including 174 in El Paso County
•1,945 deaths due to COVID-19
- The Johnstown psychiatric hospital was closed, in part, over lack of COVID-19 precautions and history of patient abuse. All patients have been relocated and families have been notified, the announcement said. Read more
- UCCS Chancellor Venkat Reddy has issued an executive directive requiring faculty, staff, students, volunteers and visitors to wear face coverings indoors on campus and on shuttles. The face-covering requirement at UCCS will last “for the duration of the crisis,” as defined by public health agencies, Reddy said. Read more here.
-Boulder County Public Health pulled back on its order prohibiting gatherings of 18- to 22-year-olds Monday, citing safety concerns from University of Colorado students. Here's the latest on that.
- Colorado Springs ranked no. 1 in a recent survey that studied 100 of the best fall vacation destinations and COVID-19 safety measures nationwide. Read more here.
- The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in southern Colorado will reopen the visitor center, the park's store, bathrooms, and indoor exhibits Thursday. Read more here.
- Colorado Springs Airport is bringing back its shuttle service for long-term parking areas beginning Thursday, officials said in a Monday news release. The service had been suspended because of COVID-19 concerns. More details here.
- Drug overdose deaths in Colorado began to climb in March, with the full onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and continued to surge through the spring...Read more here.
-Restaurants and bars with food service are looking at how to keep business going once the weather turns cold. Colorado's health officials announced guidelines on outdoor dining, including how restaurants and bars can continue to serve outdoors and still remain within the rules for dealing with COVID-19. The guidelines focus on temporary outdoor structures that will keep patrons safe from COVID-19, if not warm. More details here.
- COVID-19 has officially reached every county in Colorado as Kiowa County reported its first positive case Friday. Of the state’s 64 counties, Kiowa County was the last to report a confirmed case of COVID-19...Read more here.
- It’s a crisis on top of a crisis on top of a crisis. In an investigative series last year, a team of Gazette journalists found that nearly 450,000 Coloradans aren’t being treated for mental illness. In one study, Colorado ranked 48th out of 50 states in mental health services for children. And now coronavirus has made it all worse...Read more here.
- Four Academy District 20 high school students are in isolation after two students were confirmed positive for COVID-19. Colorado Springs School District 11 is delaying the start of in-person classes at its four traditional high schools for a week because of inadequate ventilation in the buildings. Read more here.
- The Garden Ranch Y in central Colorado Springs is shutting its doors for good, a permanent end to what once was believed would be a brief adjustment because of the coronavirus. Full story here.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently classified indoor haunted houses, where guests might be crowded together and screaming, as a higher risk activity that should be avoided.
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