The committee will certify those businesses that qualify for the state s 5-star rating program. Hopefully it will be an online process where they will file an application and file their safety plan, Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar said during a press conference held Tuesday outside the Pueblo County Courthouse. We ve worked on a template for them to prepare a safety plan to say, these are the things we are going to do to make sure that it is as safe as it possibly can (be) for inside activities at that particular business.
Mesa County developed the Variance Protection Program, also known as the 5-star rating program, to recognize establishments implementing public health recommendations related to COVID-19 and reward them by allowing a more robust opening than what their current level on the state s COVID-19 dial permits.
Pueblo County has received $5.8 million in CARES Act emergency grant funding from Colorado, which will help small businesses countywide.
County Commissioner Garrison Ortiz announced the funding Monday during a press conference held Monday outside of the Pueblo County Courthouse. This will make a huge impact to inject $5.8 million here over the holidays with these closures to really help our business community and the local economy, Ortiz said.
The county applied for $6 million and Ortiz said he and fellow commissioners Terry Hart and Chris Wiseman were pleasantly surprised to receive $5.8 million of the request.
Ortiz said because of state law, the funding has to be dispersed by Dec. 30.
They re saying goodbye to patients who are still alert as they gasp for breath.
It s no different in Pueblo, where nearly every day, doctors at Parkview Medical Center find themselves trying to comfort COVID-19 patients, many of whom are scared and alone.
Visitors are forbidden, unless the patient is so critically ill that the family wants to transition from medical procedures to only comfort of the patient.
Some need intubation because breathing is a huge challenge.
They are extremely sick and rapidly deteriorating, leaving doctors little time to ascertain patients wishes. It s so difficult to intubate these people because you are at the head of the bed. You re holding their head; you ve got a mask on their face giving them oxygen, and they are looking up at you crying and you are looking down at them telling them that you are going to do the best that you can to keep them alive and keep them safe, said Stephanie Harabaglia, a doctor at Parkview Medical Center.
The Christopher Columbus Statue in Pueblo s Mesa Junction was shrouded Friday with a large banner reading TAKE IT DOWN.
The banner was one of a few set by a group of activists in honor of Rita Martinez, a dedicated community organizer and Chicana activist who died Dec. 10 after battling COVID-19 at Pueblo s Parkview Medical Center for 14 days.
Her funeral was Friday. It looks like some people wanted to commemorate my mom, Rita Martinez, Vicente Martinez Ortega said. (Friday) is the day of her funeral and some folks wanted to commemorate her in their own way.
Martinez was best known as one of the most vocal leaders in the three-decade fight to abolish the Christopher Columbus holiday in Colorado a battle that was won earlier this year when Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill replacing Columbus Day with Mother Cabrini Day.
Other similar units were used in New York City early on during the pandemic.
The unit, with capacity for 40 bodies, is near St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center.
Randy Evetts, public health director of the Pueblo Department of Public Health and Environment, said Wednesday that COVID-19-related deaths have increased drastically in Pueblo County.
He said from April through October there was an average of one COVID-19 death every five days in Pueblo.
In November, the average shot up to 3-4 deaths per day.
In December it has climbed to 7-8 deaths per day.
“This virus is still something very serious in our community and something that people need to take seriously, Evetts said.