COVID-19: County declares disaster emergency

Clear Creek County has taken a number of steps in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and officials have asked community members to take the situation seriously by following social distancing guidelines, staying home as much as possible and preparing for shelter-in-place protocols.

The county has closed its offices to the public for at least two weeks, and many services are making adjustments to accommodate the situation, such as the courts and the jail.

Read more here: www.clearcreekcourant.com/content/covid-...ices-least-two-weeks
By Corinne Westeman
Monday, March 16, 2020

COVID-19: Local businesses adapting, making difficult decisions

Clear Creek County businesses have taken varying approaches in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some restaurants remain open with modified menus for to-go orders, as dine-in service is restricted until the end of April at least.

A number of local shops are only doing business over-the-phone or online, while others have shortened their hours

But, some businesses have closed completely for the time being.

Overall, not everybody's choosing to go the same route, and owners are making the best decision for their industry and business, described Brandi Murphy, executive director of Idaho Springs Chamber of Commerce.

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By Corinne Westeman
Saturday, March 14, 2020

COVID-19: Loaves & Fishes seeking canned good donations

Local food bank Loaves & Fishes is asking for the community to donate canned and pre-packaged goods after Food Bank of the Rockies has temporarily suspended some of its support.

On Wednesday, Executive Director Marty Hutt said that Loaves & Fishes receives much of its canned goods from weekly deliveries from Food Bank of the Rockies, which serves more than 200 food banks across Colorado and Wyoming.

But because of the short supply of food and volunteers, Food Bank of the Rockies is now focusing on supplying its 60 largest food banks, which doesn't include Loaves & Fishes, Hutt continued.

He can still go to Food Bank of the Rockies to receive fresh food, but Loaves & Fishes is on its own for canned goods.

Read more here: www.clearcreekcourant.com/content/covid-...anned-good-donations
By Corinne Westeman
Tuesday, March 17, 2020

COVID-19 briefs: IMT monitoring confirmed cases, meeting current needs

Clear Creek’s Incident Management Team is monitoring county residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 or are suspected of having it.

Public Health Nurse Crystal Brandt checks on those households daily to ensure their needs are met and has been in touch with others who have questions about their symptoms, Emergency Management Director Suzanne Boccia said.

Clear Creek County buildings were scheduled to be closed through April 1 but now will reopen on April 20, conditions allowing.

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By Corinne Westeman
Tuesday, March 31, 2020

COVID-19: School district provides food boxes to staff as it weathers COVID-19 pandemic

Clear Creek School District’s director of food services decided it was time to do something nice for the teachers and staff as they work remotely to educate students.

Director Shadow Murphy put together 50 thank-you boxes for staff members containing fruit, vegetables, items to make tea, ingredients for a few meals, a thank-you note and cookies. She distributed boxes last week.

The boxes are inexpensive for the district, and she emphasized they aren’t taking away from the food being distributed to students and their families.

Read more here: www.clearcreekcourant.com/content/covid-...rs-covid-19-pandemic
By Deb Hurley Brobst
Wednesday, April 8, 2020

COVID-19: Local medical personnel adapting on the pandemic’s front lines

Being a first responder during the COVID-19 pandemic has been nerve-racking and — in some ways — an honor, Clear Creek EMS Capt. Bryon Monseu described.

“This is a very trying time,” he said. “It’s kind of an honor for me to be here and helping out everyone in the county. … I don’t think there’s ever been a time that first responders have been more important.”

Still, medical personnel have every reason to be nervous, as many of their peers around the world have gotten sick and some have died after contracting the virus from patients.

On the whole, Clear Creek EMS is well-equipped, has modified protocols to minimize contact and is deep-cleaning ambulances after every patient. Plus, the three captains are supervising each call to ensure crews slow down and don’t make mistakes, Monseu said.

While the job has been challenging, he said Clear Creek EMS personnel have shown nothing but dedication and strength, which have won his total admiration.

“Everyone’s scared,” he continued, “but ... what they do in life is to help people out.”

Read more here: www.clearcreekcourant.com/content/covid-...2%80%99s-front-lines
By Corinne Westeman
Wednesday, April 8, 2020

COVID-19 briefs: County plans to have three testing sites

Clear Creek already has one testing site at the Resource Center in Idaho Springs and hopes to add two more as its testing capacity increases.

The county received 100 testing kits in late April, and the state wants the county to complete 30 tests a week, Health & Human Services Director Cindy Dicken said at the April 28 county commissioners meeting.

Read more here: www.clearcreekcourant.com/content/covid-...-three-testing-sites
By Corinne Westeman
Wednesday, May 6, 2020

COVID-19: County increasing testing capacity, but social distancing still critical

Clear Creek had only conducted 23 COVID-19 tests — all negative — as of May 12, though the number of people being tested locally will increase dramatically in the coming weeks.

The county’s first regular COVID-19 testing site opened Tuesday, and it will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays in the St. Paul’s Catholic Church parking lot in Idaho Springs. The 200 available tests, which are of the nasal swab variety, are available by appointment only.

Read more here: www.clearcreekcourant.com/content/covid-...ncing-still-critical
By Corinne Westeman
Tuesday, May 19, 2020

County lifting road closure order for non-local traffic

Clear Creek County officials are lifting the public health order closing county roads to non-local traffic, effective as of noon Thursday.

This comes on the heels of the county applying for two variances from the state’s Safer-at-Home order.

The county commissioners, acting as the board of health, unanimously approved lifting the order at their meeting Thursday morning. The order has been in place since early April after it was approved 2-1 with Commissioner Sean Wood voting against it.

The commissioners said they felt that the closure had been effective in protecting emergency responders and other resources that were critical in the earlier stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as throttling down on visitors who might spread the coronavirus in the community.

Read more here: www.clearcreekcourant.com/content/county...er-non-local-traffic
By Corinne Westeman
Thursday, May 28, 2020

COVID-19: Officials set goal to test 10 percent of residents

The county’s Unified Command-Emergency Operations Center wants to test 10 percent of Clear Creek’s population — roughly 970 residents — to have accurate data for public health decision-making.

To that end, Clear Creek has scheduled six days of drive-up testing in June, with the option to schedule additional days, at St. Paul’s Parish Hall parking lot in Idaho Springs.

Testing will be by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays as well as Saturday, June 6. The county will determine whether to add more testing on Saturdays.

Anyone who lives or works in Clear Creek County is eligible for testing, regardless of whether they have symptoms or have been in contact with someone who’s been tested. The testing is free, doesn’t require insurance and takes about five minutes. To schedule an appointment, residents or employees may call 303-670-7545.

Read more here: www.clearcreekcourant.com/content/covid-...10-percent-residents
By Corinne Westeman
Tuesday, May 26, 2020