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SENTINEL EXPRESS C O M M E R C E

VOLUME 35 32

C I T Y

50cI

05 ISSUE SSUE 48

WEEK ,OFNFOVEMBER EBRUARY24, 2, 2023 TUESDAY 2020

New COVID-19 restrictions will prohibit indoor dining, personal gatherings Adams County

celebrates health department

Our in-depth look at the housing crisis

Commissioners, health board notes opening of five locations, website STAFF REPORT

High home prices, lack of supply sever metro residents from communities Lower- and middleincome people struggle to live where they work

tender firapid nally testing has a house to call A long line of cars outside the city of Brighton’s site at his own. Riverdale Regional Park. The site has had to recent “I close almostearly feel many guilty days that Iin have weeks due to high demand. Adams County’s 14-day test it,” said Laney, 49.positivity rate is one Health of a handful of was 15.9 percent, as of Nov. 17, according toLaney Tri-County Department. residents have secured Brighton and Commerce City’s test positivity rateswho were both higherhousthan ing through a subsidized program 13 percent. Forty-five people in Brighton and 29 in Commerce City have BY ROBERT TANN aimed at helping lower- and died from COVID-19 related To limit the spread of live COVID-19, COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIAhealth issues. middle-income people where they work. Butprohibits as cities indoor and towns at least 15 counties moved to tighter restrictions that and When Chris Laney moved into contend with historically high personal gatherings. his new three-bedroom home last home costs and a lack of supply, summer, he felt like he’d won the residents like Laney have struglottery. After more than a decade gled to live in their communities. of chasing the cheapest rent across “I’ve always feltby likeBelen I was just Photo Ward the metro area, the Littleton barpassing through instead of living

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By Ellis Arnold

somewhere, putting down roots,” Colorado Community said Laney. He has workedMedia at Jake’s Brew Bar in Littleton since As Denver metro counties continue to 2012. inch closer to local stay-at-home “This is where I want to be,” orders Laney “My friends family under said. Colorado’s system ofand coronavirusare Jake’s.” related restrictions, the state announced In numerous counties, residents level ofarules that —a new spanning range ofprohibits employ-indoor dining and personal gatherings —to a ment from the service industry change that applies to the majority teaching — have faced the bruntof the ofDenver what many officials are calling a in metro area and many counties housing crisis. other regions. The median price of a singleThe state’s COVID-19 dial, which has been in effectSEEsince September, is the set PRICES, P7 of different levels of restrictions that each

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LOCAL LOCAL BUSINESS •27J Schools moves • Anythink gets all • Vestas to lay off 200 online-only Dec. 1 mushy employees

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Adams County officially opened the doors to its five new health department offices Jan. 3 but officials celebrated the new department Jan. 24. “Building a Health Department from the ground up is a monumental task, but with the dedication and hard work of our team, we were able to accomplish it in just nine months,” said County Manager Noel Bernal. “It required diligent planning, strong leadership, and a relentless focus on our collective goal: onboarding nearly 200 employees, launching five locations, and investing in this new department through a $27 million budget. This herculean undertaking is a testament to our commitment and to providing quality public health services for our community.” The new department is responsible for promoting and protecting the health of all residents in Adams County variety programs. county isthrough requiredato followof based on the AdamsofCounty Health its severity a county’s local debuted virus spread. new website at https://adamscounThe dial grew out of the state’s tyhealthdepartment.org/ on safer-atDec. home — thelaunched policy thatoncame 23 andorder officially Jan.after 1, the statewide stay-at-home order this on opening the doors to five locations Jan. 3. and allowed numerous types of spring “But we were focused on onboardbusinesses to reopen. ing over 200 employees on Jan. 3 and The stateservices recentlyand switched to color delivering programs imidentifiers — levels blue, yellow mediately,” Public Informationand Officer orange rather than numbered levelsto — to William Porter said. “We wanted have this celebration later and invite avoid confusion. Until Nov. 17, level red not justa the County Commissioners meant stay-at-home order. Now, level but the community partners for the red — “severe risk” — is the huge administrative lift andsecondcooperation needed to make this possible.” Please see RESTRICTIONS, Page 2