COVID-19

Councilors say coverings improve safety during reopening
The city of Durango will extend its mandatory face-covering order indefinitely in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Durango City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to extend the order, which had been scheduled to end Friday. Face coverings have been hotly debated locally and nationally. Councilors made the decision after considering public…

City outlines cutbacks in face of coronavirus impacts
The city of Durango plans to make budget cuts and furlough employees one day per week to make up for an estimated $10 million budget shortfall.

Local municipalities around Colorado are preparing for the long-term economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Durango City Council was briefed this week about…

Monthly lost sales tax revenue could average 29% through 2020
More than 30 projects planned by the city of Durango in the 2020 budget have been deferred or scaled back, including the pedestrian bridge over the Animas River at 32nd Street, repairs to the recreation center, road repairs and fixes to sewage lift stations.

The cuts come…

Citizens urged to respect ordinances or lose access

Trail systems serve as the lifeblood for Durango outdoor recreation. Keeping those networks open during the coronavirus pandemic is important to public officials, but trail closures are a real possibility because of users who do not follow public health ordinances.

Durango city councilor Chris Bettin went for a mountain…

Virus-related restrictions require remote meetings
The city of Durango introduced coronavirus-adapted public meeting procedures for participants in the City Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Social-distancing policies and stay-at-home orders have forced municipalities to get creative for public meetings.

Many meetings are canceled, but critical sessions will be held using audio or video platforms.

City officials also pointed community…

Directive limits travel and services to slow spread of coronavirus
On Day 1 of a statewide stay-at-home order, Durango and La Plata County roads appeared congestion-free, parking lots were all but empty and residents seemed to have heeded Gov. Jared Polis’ mandate – although some couldn’t help but run a few errands.

The statewide order, which took…

At least 19 deaths have been linked to the coronavirus in Colorado
Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday said he was issuing a statewide stay-at-home order starting Thursday morning to try to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

The order goes into effect at 6 a.m. Thursday and continues until at least April 11.

“All we’re asking is…

City hopes to see an order from state of Colorado

The city of Durango issued a stay-at-home advisory Tuesday in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

La Plata County has reported one case of COVID-19, in part because of limited testing, but health officials have advised the community to act as though the novel coronavirus…