Denver Coronavirus Update: Furloughs, Contact Tracing, Testing

DENVER, CO — Around 13,000 City and County of Denver employees will now be required to take eight mandatory furlough days off in 2020 as the new coronavirus pandemic takes its toll on government revenues. The furloughs will save the city around $16 million, officials said.

Public health orders continue to reduce local sales and limit the city's tax revenues, and the city is currently anticipating a 2020 budget gap of $226 million.

“We recognize the burden these furlough days have on both city employees and residents,” Mayor Michael Hancock said in a news conference Thursday afternoon. “I know our city employees are resilient and together, we will make it through these unprecedented times.” 

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Farmers markets will be allowed to open in Denver Saturday, but need to "operate in a manner that prioritizes public health and safety, including implementing physical distancing, and enhanced hygiene practices," city officials said.

Denver is also ramping up its contact tracing capacity, Hancock said. Around 100 Denver Police Department and city employees will be trained and redeployed to Denver’s Department of Public Health and Environment to collect contact tracing data from people who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Employees will help to assess an infected person's risk to other community members, and testing will be offered whenever needed.

Staff members will need recipients' names and dates of birth, and will ask about symptoms, but employees will not request any form of payment or personal information related to income, social security numbers or family members, Hancock said. Residents are encouraged to answer their phones and respond to the questions asked. The contact tracing staff’s primary goal is to provide guidance on how residents, their families and communities can stay safe.

Private and nonprofit partners are also helping to reduce the impact of the city’s projected budget setbacks, the mayor said. Kaiser Permanente Colorado contributed $1 million to help provide resources for the suppression of COVID-19 among people experiencing homelessness in Denver. The contribution is pending approval by city council.

City officials have begun the Social Safety Net mobilization strategy, which includes three phases:

• Priority Intervention: Identifying emergency basic needs 
• Stabilization: Ensuring that community needs and available resources are efficiently combined, through the remainder of the year 
• Recovery: An up to two-year process to restore Denver’s benefits and services climate to pre-pandemic operations.  

Part of ensuring equity through the recovery phase includes increased access to testing, Hancock said. Mobile testing for those in Denver who cannot easily access testing sites remains available via the “Wellness Winnie” and several other city fleet vehicles. A doctor’s note is not needed to be eligible for a test, which will consist of a nasal swab. Personal identification is also not required, but name and date of birth are requested for records purposes and in order to confirm results. Residents can call 311 to schedule a testing visit.

As of Thursday afternoon, there have been 4,359 cases of the coronavirus in Denver since the outbreak began. The death toll in the city has reached 237.

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