Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It’s Wednesday December 2nd, and we’re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Join us daily for an in-depth look at one of our top stories, and a quick summary of other important things happening in our state.

 

Today, we’re discussing why we’ve seen surging numbers of coronavirus cases in Colorado. 

 

Before we begin, let’s take a look at what happened on this day in Colorado history - adapted from Derek R Everett’s book “Colorado Day by Day”:

 

Today, we take you back to December 2nd, 1938 when President Franklin D Roosevelt signed a land patent that created the Colorado State Forest. It extends along the Medicine Bow Range, and along the eastern edge of North Park in Jackson County. It’s the state’s premier moose viewing destination.

 

Now, our feature story. 

 

In early November, Colorado’s coronavirus case numbers surged to levels that now threaten the state’s hospital capacity and could lead to thousands of more deaths before the end of the year.

 

So, what were we collectively doing in late summer that we stopped doing in October?

 

Some said the surge in cases has been caused by indoor dining at restaurants - Others said large super-spreader events - and some said it was small personal gatherings!

 

The finger-pointing ran in circles, and The New York Times published an article, citing data from Colorado, questioning whether small gatherings really were driving the spread of the virus. The director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention actually rebutted the article, saying that it is really being driven by household gatherings.

 

But big-picture analyses of mobility trends provide a much simpler answer to this mystery for Colorado. 

 

Colorado Sun reporter Jon Ingold is joining us today to provide some insight. Jon thanks for joining us, so, I know you’ve been working with a Colorado State University professor who said that the prerequisite for this current surge has been in place for a while. Can you explain that?

 

So does this data show where people are going?

 

And if we’ve been seeing this uptick in mobility since the summer why are we just now starting to see cases increase?

 

So, on top of already rising numbers of cases, what’s the expected impact of the Thanksgiving holiday?

 

The people who caught the coronavirus over Thanksgiving were all exposed in different ways. But, again, the common factor is mobility. And Fauci said there is one sure way to reverse the rise in cases: People just have to change their behavior and stay home as much as possible and wear masks and maintain distance from others when they leave home.

 

Thanks for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:

52 Catholic priests in Colorado, including iconic Father Woody, abused 212 victims according to further investigation.

-

Jared Polis and his partner tested positive for Coronavirus after Polis was exposed to someone with COVID-19 on Wednesday. Limited information on his infection has been released.

-

CU Boulder struggles to enroll low-income students and that has consequences for Coloradans’ social mobility.

-

Child care centers are among the few Colorado businesses that have been allowed to stay open during the pandemic, yet they are a top priority as the state legislature meets this week to hand out coronavirus relief money.

-

Aurora police officers and medics sued over the death of Elijah McClain are asking a judge to dismiss the federal lawsuit.

For more information on all of these stories, visit our website, www.coloradosun.com. 

 

The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.


Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you’ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don’t forget to tune in again tomorrow.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good Morning, Colorado, and welcome to the Daily Sun-Up. It&rsquo;s Wednesday December 2nd, and we&rsquo;re feeling lucky to start the day with you. Join us daily for an in-depth look at one of our top stories, and a quick summary of other important things happening in our state.
&nbsp;
Today, we&rsquo;re discussing why we&rsquo;ve seen surging numbers of coronavirus cases in Colorado.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Before we begin, let&rsquo;s take a look at what happened on this day in Colorado history - adapted from Derek R Everett&rsquo;s book &ldquo;Colorado Day by Day&rdquo;:
&nbsp;
Today, we take you back to December 2nd, 1938 when President Franklin D Roosevelt signed a land patent that created the Colorado State Forest. It extends along the Medicine Bow Range, and along the eastern edge of North Park in Jackson County. It&rsquo;s the state&rsquo;s premier moose viewing destination.
&nbsp;
Now, our feature story.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
In early November, Colorado&rsquo;s coronavirus case numbers surged to levels that now threaten the state&rsquo;s hospital capacity and could lead to thousands of more deaths before the end of the year.
&nbsp;
So, what were we collectively doing in late summer that we stopped doing in October?
&nbsp;
Some said the surge in cases has been caused by indoor dining at restaurants - Others said large super-spreader events - and some said it was small personal gatherings!
&nbsp;
The finger-pointing ran in circles, and The New York Times<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/health/coronavirus-holiday-gatherings.html?pageType=LegacyCollection&amp;collectionName=school-reopenings&amp;label=school-reopenings&amp;module=hub_Band&amp;region=inline&amp;template=storyline_band_recirc"> published an article</a>, citing data from Colorado, questioning whether small gatherings really were driving the spread of the virus. The director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention actually<a href="https://twitter.com/ddiamond/status/1331428200350670849"> rebutted the article</a>, saying that it is really being driven by household gatherings.
&nbsp;
But big-picture analyses of mobility trends provide a much simpler answer to this mystery for Colorado.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Colorado Sun reporter Jon Ingold is joining us today to provide some insight. Jon thanks for joining us, so, I know you&rsquo;ve been working with a Colorado State University professor who said that the prerequisite for this current surge has been in place for a while. Can you explain that?
&nbsp;
So does this data show where people are going?
&nbsp;
And if we&rsquo;ve been seeing this uptick in mobility since the summer why are we just now starting to see cases increase?
&nbsp;
So, on top of already rising numbers of cases, what&rsquo;s the expected impact of the Thanksgiving holiday?
&nbsp;
The people who caught the coronavirus over Thanksgiving were all exposed in different ways. But, again, the common factor is mobility. And Fauci said there is one sure way to reverse the rise in cases: People just have to change their behavior and stay home as much as possible and wear masks and maintain distance from others when they leave home.
&nbsp;
Thanks for listening. Before we go here are a few stories you should know about today:
52 Catholic priests in Colorado, including iconic Father Woody, abused 212 victims according to further investigation.
-
Jared Polis and his partner tested positive for Coronavirus after Polis was exposed to someone with COVID-19 on Wednesday. Limited information on his infection has been released.
-
CU Boulder struggles to enroll low-income students and that has consequences for Coloradans&rsquo; social mobility.
-
Child care centers are among the few Colorado businesses that have been allowed to stay open during the pandemic, yet they are a top priority as the state legislature meets this week to hand out coronavirus relief money.
-
Aurora police officers and medics sued over the death of Elijah McClain are asking a judge to dismiss the federal lawsuit.
For more information on all of these stories, visit our website,<a href="http://www.coloradosun.com/"> www.coloradosun.com</a>.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The Colorado Sun is non-partisan and completely independent. We're always dedicated to telling the in-depth stories we need today more than ever. And The Sun is supported by readers and listeners like you.
 Right now, you can head to ColoradoSun.com and become a member. Starting at $5 per month for a basic membership and if you bump it up to $20 per month, you&rsquo;ll get access to our exclusive politics and outdoors newsletters. Thanks for starting your morning with us and don&rsquo;t forget to tune in again tomorrow.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Welcome to The Colorado Sun's daily podcast, The Daily Sun-Up. Every day we’re sharing an in-depth look at one of our top stories, followed by a quick summary of important things happening in our state. For more visit us at https://coloradosun.com/.

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