This is the live blog from Monday, May 25, 2020. Click here for the live blog from Tuesday, May 26.
In honor of both fallen service members and current frontline workers, the Colorado National Guard will perform a helicopter flyover across much of the state today for Memorial Day.
As of Sunday at 4 p.m., Colorado had 23,964 positive cases of coronavirus, including 4,105 individuals who needed hospitalization.
READ MORE: List of Colorado businesses that are open
Click here for the latest update on the number of cases, the age, gender and location of presumptive positive, indeterminate and confirmed cases from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Below, we're updating this blog with the latest information regarding COVID-19 in Colorado.
Latest updates:
Monday, May 25
8:58 p.m. | Second King Soopers employee from Denver's Capitol Hill store dies of COVID-19, union says
A second employee at the King Soopers in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood has died from complications related to the novel coronavirus, union officials said Monday.
8:34 p.m. | A Basin stops online reservations due to high demand
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area says that due to high demand, they have stopped all sale of online reservation tickets and will have a new system up by midday Tuesday.
7:21 p.m. | A Basin's online reservation system crashes due to high demand
Arapahoe Basin's online reservation system has crashed due to "extremely high demand," officials with the ski area said via Twitter just before 7:30 p.m. Monday. Online reservations opened to the public at 7 o'clock this evening, in preparation for the ski area's reopening on Wednesday.
"We are not sure when the reservation system will be back up and running," officials said in the tweet.
Here's what you need to know in case you want to reserve a spot at the ski area in the coming days.
5:55 p.m. | Owners of Castle Rock diner sue health departments, Gov. Polis over decision to shut down restaurant
The owners of a Castle Rock restaurant which was closed by the state for defying the state’s public health order over Mother’s Day weekend are suing Governor Jared Polis and other state entities, claiming their constitutional rights were violated.
The restaurant blames Gov. Polis, the State of Colorado, the CDPHE, the Tri-County Health Department (TCHD), and the executive director of the CDPHE, Jill Hunsaker Ryan, of depriving the Arellanos “of their livelihood and ability to operate their business after they simply allowed customers onto their premises to serve food and beverages.”
The restaurant garnered national attention after video taken inside the coffee shop by Colorado Community Media showed booths packed, tables filled and a line snaking out the door – despite a standing public health order from the state in effect through May 26, which prohibits gatherings of no more than ten people, the observation of proper social distancing between people of six feet, mask wearing, and the closure of restaurants for in-person dining.
4:04 p.m. | Latest Colorado COVID-19 data
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment released updated Colorado COVID-19 data Monday afternoon. The latest figures are (Change from Sunday):
24,269 cases (+95)
4,128 hospitalized (+9)
60 counties (+0)
153,683 people tested (+3,375)
1,333 deaths among cases (+1)
1,088 deaths due to COVID-19 (+0)
266 outbreaks (+2)
The latest hospital data from the CDPHE shows 560 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients with 68% of facilities updating within 24 hours.
3:19 p.m. | Denver aligns with state's restaurant reopening on Wednesday
The City and County of Denver says it will align with the State's decision to allow restaurants to resume limited in-person dining beginning Wednesday, May 27.
"Denver may make additional adjustments in the coming days, and face coverings will be required for restaurant employees & customers, except while eating and drinking," the city said in a tweet.
Additionally, the city said it is working quickly to process nearly 400 applications to expand outdoor patio seating.
12:06 p.m. | Gov. Polis issues guidance for restaurants, camps, camping
Gov. Jared Polis has updated and extended the safe-at-home executive order, which directs the CDPHE to develop and issue guidance relation to restaurants and summer camps. The order is extended until June 1.
Beginning on May 27, restaurants will be able to open for in-person dining at 50% capacity. That cannot exceed 50 people. Restaurants are encouraged to provide as much outdoor services as possible.
Bars will remain closed. Click here to read more on guidance for restaurants and food services.
Day camps this summer, including youth sports camps, can open June 1. Residential overnight camps will stay closed through June and a decision about possibly reopening them in July or August will me made in mid-June. Click here to read more about children's day camps and youth sports camps.
As of May 25, private campsites are open. Campgrounds in state parks have already reopened.
In addition, the executive order that closed ski resorts has expired, so resorts can work to secure approval to reopen.
A public health order will be released Tuesday. Gov. Polis will hold a media availability at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Click here for the story.
10:35 a.m. | CDPHE press conference planned for Tuesday morning
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced Monday morning that it plans to hold a press conference from 10-10:45 a.m. on Tuesday. Experts will discuss the current state of COVID-19 in Colorado and the latest modeling data.
5 a.m. | Happening today: Colorado National Guard will perform Memorial Day helicopter flyovers across Colorado
The Colorado National Guard will perform a helicopter flyover across much of the state today to honor our fallen service members as well as the health care and frontline workers.
One flyover will start at Buckley Air Force Base at 8:30 a.m. and will head across the metro area, then to Colorado Springs and back to Buckley.
The second will start at 9 a.m. at the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Gypsum and fly across the Western Slope down to Silverton and back.
The helicopters flying out of Buckley AFB will be a CH-47 Chinook, two UH-60 Black Hawks and one LUH-72 Lakota. Two UH-60 Black Hawks will launch out of HAATS for the Western Slope flyover.
“We are really excited that U.S. Army leadership has allowed us to focus some of our training hours to thank our veterans and the healthcare workers and first responders caring for them during these difficult times,” State Army Aviation Officer U.S. Army Col. William Gentle said. “This Memorial Day is unique but no less important than any other in our nation’s history. We must never forget those who have sacrificed so much to keep this great nation free.”
Click here to see the full schedule and routes.
5 a.m. | Happening today: Eagle County can allow dine-in services, guided tours, larger gatherings starting today
Starting today, Eagle County will reopen to dine-in services at restaurants at bars at reduced capacity, allow guided tours and reopen playgrounds and allow larger gatherings and some visitors if they have been free of COVID-19 symptoms for at least a week and a half.
The move to what the county is calling its “Blue Phase” was approved Friday by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and will begin today, May 25. Click here to read the full story.
Click here for the live blog from Saturday and Sunday, May 23-24, 2020.
