Coronavirus Cases Reported Among Littleton Police, City Employees

LITTLETON, CO — Some city service changes and temporary closures were announced Tuesday after coronavirus cases were confirmed among employees at the Littleton Police Department, the Littleton Center and the Municipal Court, city officials said.

State public health officials have directed Arapahoe County to move to Colorado's stricter 'Safer at Home - Level Orange'on the state's COVID-19 Dial. The county has seen a surge in case counts and positivity rates over the past several weeks, health officials said. The county will move to the tighter restrictions at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The number of COVID-19 cases among city employees and police in Littleton has not been released. Over the past week, more than 100 'confirmed and probable' cases have been reported among the city's general population, according to data released by the Tri-County Health Department.

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Amid the spike in cases, officials have decided to close Littleton Municipal Court through Nov. 27.

"Cases scheduled during this time will be continued to future dates in December," the city said in a news release. "The court will mail notices with the new dates to the affected parties."

The Littleton Center is open by appointment only.

The Bemis Library has reduced its capacity to 50 people at a time in the building and computer use is limited to one hour per person, per day. Visitors may have to wait to enter and are asked to keep visits short, officials said. Curbside pickup service is encouraged and is available by calling 303-795-3961. All returned library materials are quarantined for 72 hours under guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and the American Library Association.

The Littleton Museum is also reducing the number of visitors to 50 per hour. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 303-795-3950.

Police staffing will continue at normal operational levels; however, many COVID-19 protocols and cleaning guidelines remain in place. Contract and in-house custodial staff have focused on disinfecting common areas regularly and have fogged all areas when an exposure has been identified, the city said. The Littleton Police and dispatch spaces are fogged twice weekly.

All police vehicles and Omnibuses are treated with a long-acting polymer disinfectant, the city said. Bi-polar ionization equipment, which is designed to stop the growth of pathogens, has been installed in central HVAC systems at the Littleton Center, Municipal Courthouse, Library and Museum. All city employees must check their temperature before entering their building and those who can work remotely are doing so, the city said.