DENVER — Denver officials confirmed Friday that there are two people within the city who tested positive for the coronavirus.
In the wake of the spread of the coronavirus across the country, several major events like South by Southwest have been canceled as well as some conferences in Colorado like the American Physical Society annual meeting, which is the country’s largest physics convention.
Numerous other events like the Colorado RV, Sport & Travel Show as well as Oprah’s wellness tour at the Pepsi Center and a Colorado Rapids game have not been canceled in Denver this weekend.
During a press conference, health officials warned people not to panic and told them not to change what they are doing.
People attending the First Friday event in Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe said they are not letting the fears over the coronavirus slow them down.
“I’m not changing my life. I mean until a lot of people in Denver start to get it, I’m not going to worry about it,” said poet Abigail Mott.
Mott admits, though, that all the talk of the coronavirus has caused her to wash her hands more frequently.
Matt Worldly, meanwhile, who is the creator of the Denver Art Market, says he too has thought about the coronavirus as he goes about his daily life.
“Yesterday I actually met someone and shook his hand and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I should wash my hands, I should wash my hands now,’ and I thought, wow actually this is separating me from my community, this whole idea of there’s a virus and everyone has a virus so protect yourself,” Worldly said.
One of Worldly’s artists even brought hand sanitizer with him to the event to try to keep himself and others safe.
Despite this, Worldly says he is trying not to let the hype over the coronavirus change his day-to-day life and he was happy that, based on the turnout to the First Friday event, others weren’t either.
“Just to see everybody out here right now says that Denver is not going to play into it,” he said. “I think Denver as a whole is just as beautiful artistic thriving community.
