Over 125 community members attended and ask questions of panelists, including Boulder City Council member Mark Wallach; Charles Ferro from the city’s recovery team; JB Banks, CU Boulder Dean of Students and Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs; Jennifer Barrett McDuffie, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs; Jeff Zayach, Director of BCPH and Randy Barber, BVSD’s Chief Communications Officer.
- Council member Wallach said the city greatly values our students and understands their contributions and is pleased to see the COVID case numbers trending in the right direction. He also expressed dismay that there was at least one very large party on the Hill this past weekend and said it is critically important that this behavior stop.
- Mr. Ferro noted that the city has been partnering with BCPH and CU to ensure that any collegiate group residences, specifically fraternities and sororities, have the information they need to submit plans required to lift stay-at-home orders.
- BCPH director Jeff Zayach Boulder County has gone from having the highest case numbers and rate of positivity in the state to among the lowest. While there is a worrisome upward trend among all other age groups, he thinks we can get to baseline if we don’t have any large gatherings and continue to wear masks, maintain physical distance and practice good hygiene.
- Dean of Students JB Banks saying that if we stay the course and keep up the good work - we could possibly be back at baseline as early as next week, and what a relief that would be for the entire community.
- Jennifer McDuffie encouraged everyone to take time to care for themselves, to support their own needs for connection and belonging, and to find time to spend outside. She expressed gratitude that CU is part of a community focused on health and wellness, that can view the situation holistically and support one another in this process.
- Randy Barber with BVSD was pleased to report that with the improving trend they have accelerated efforts to bring their students back to the classroom in a staged plan. He anticipates students in all grade levels will be back in person by Oct 30. Among the strategies BVSD is employing to keep students safe are cohorts, passive screening, improved ventilation (with the help of experts from CU), and increased sanitation protocols. Expressing his hope that the community will work together so they can keep their students in the classroom, he noted how critically important in-person, one-on-one interaction is for K-12 students both academically and socially.
