Coronavirus In Colorado: What To Know Monday, May 18
As of Sunday afternoon, 21,938 people have been infected with the new coronavirus in Colorado among 126,330 people who have been tested since the outbreak began, health officials confirmed. Around 3,872 people have been hospitalized, and the death toll has reached 1,215.
Other recent developments in Colorado and around the United States:
Jerome H. Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, has a simple message for Americans gearing up for another week amid the coronavirus pandemic: "This economy will recover. It may take a while," Powell said in a preview of an interview he gave to "60 Minutes" on Sunday night. He said that a vaccine will be critical to achieving a full financial recovery.
The Fed chair's comments came as more than 36 million Americans have lost their jobs since February.
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The House of Representatives pushed through a $3 trillion bill intended to help in that economic recovery process; however, the aid package has almost no chance of passing the Senate in its current form, with Senate Republicans calling it "dead on arrival." The bill would deliver almost $1 trillion for state and local governments, another round of $1,200 direct payments to individuals and help for the unemployed, renters and homeowners, college debt holders and the struggling Postal Service.
Trump and top Republicans are insisting the next bill should protect reopening businesses from liability lawsuits. The president is also demanding a cut to payroll taxes, but GOP leaders are not yet on board.
Former President Barack Obama on Saturday criticized U.S. leaders responsible for overseeing the country's response to the coronavirus pandemic. "More than anything, this pandemic has fully, finally torn back the curtain on the idea that so many of the folks in charge know what they're doing," Obama said in a speech. "A lot of them aren't even pretending to be in charge."
Researchers at Harvard University have calculated that the U.S. needs to test a minimum of 900,000 people per day to safely reopen the economy. That goal is nearly three times the country's current daily testing tally of about 360,000, according to figures compiled by the COVID Tracking Project website.
Nearly 4 million people are expected to graduate with a college degree this academic year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. They will do so amid soaring unemployment and shuttering businesses
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has struck down the state's "Safer-At-Home" order, stating that Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' administration overstepped its legal boundaries when crafting the order.
Under strict guidelines, the Broncos will begin the process of reopening UCHealth Training Center and Empower Field at Mile High.
The Downtown Denver Partnership has issued a letter to Mayor Michael Hancock that calls for the closure of some city streets to help local restaurants and stores comply with social distancing guidelines.
Denver, Arapahoe and Weld counties consistently have the highest overall number of cases in Colorado; however, Morgan, Logan, Gunnison and Eagle counties consistently have the highest case rates per 100,000 people.
Jeffco Open Space is suspending all new camping reservations until further notice, parks officials said in a public notice Friday. The county is also reducing its work week for employees to four days amid projected budget shortfalls.
Patch Editor Gus Saltonstall contributed to this report.
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This article originally appeared on the Across Colorado Patch
