Denver Sees Increase In Coronavirus; Hancock Urges Mask-Wearing

DENVER, CO — Denver has seen an uptick in the number of coronavirus cases over the past two weeks, Mayor Michael Hancock said in a news conference Friday.

"Cases have gone up," Hancock said. "We are going in the wrong direction, and that is of concern to us."

If city sees a surge in cases, stricter public health orders and closures may have to be implemented, Hancock said.

"That would be absolutely devastating to our economy," he said. "We simply want to avoid that — avoid more job losses in our economy. Nobody wants to pause and go backward."

"This is the time for us to not lose the momentum that we've all fought so hard to gain," Hancock said.

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Over the past two weeks, the city has seen a 60 percent increase in complaints about mask coverings, Hancock said. He reiterated Gov. Jared Polis' reminder for people to wear masks whenever they are around other members of the public — indoors and outdoors.

"Face coverings are required in Denver," Hancock said. "The mayors who didn't follow mask-wearing guidelines are the same mayors who are having to explain big case spikes."

The drive-up testing site at Pepsi Center is now only able to run 2,000 tests per day, Denver officials announced Tuesday. The daily cap is "due to an increase in national demand for COVID-19 tests," the city said. The testing site will close as soon as the cap is reached.

>> More information about how to get tested at the Pepsi Center site can be found here.

The increase in demand for tests comes as many states battle a surge of coronavirus cases. The United States on Wednesday surpassed 3 million confirmed cases.

All Denver dog parks and children's playgrounds have reopened; however, playgrounds and other park equipment are not disinfected by park operations staff, officials said. Visitors are asked to use hand sanitizer when soap and water isn't available, wear masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Cherry Creek Mall has reopened under public health guidelines, and gyms have also begun reopening at 50 percent capacity.

>> View more city reopenings here.