What do I think of blogging?

As the semester comes to an end I think about the last five weeks of blogging and I find myself really sad to be done with this class and my blog. I have really enjoyed blogging and think that it is a great way to tell a story. I really liked blogging because it allowed me to become a better writer and researcher. I also enjoyed coming up with new topics each week and really thinking about what information would useful for my readers. 

I really liked being able to update my blog each week and as new information came out about Covid-19 I was able to give the most updated information. One thing I didn’t like about blogging was that some weeks I struggled to come up with new ideas for a blog post that wouldn’t sound too similar to a post I had already written. 

I think I will continue to blog, I enjoyed blogging more than I thought I would.  I enjoyed being able to share weekly information about a beat I choose. Although I don’t think I  will continue to blog about the same beat because I was struggling to come up different ideas for new blog posts. 

I think blogging is a great way to tell a story. Blogs are nice because you can tell multiple stories that all relate back to your beat. Some of the posts can be very different from each other but still tell a similar story to the rest. With regular stories you don’t always get to tell different sides of a story or a story that relates to the original story. With blogs you can tell a wide verity of stories. 

One thing I do wish I had know before starting  this class was how creative you can get with your blog. I didn’t realize I could spice my stories  up with picture or that I would be able to design the way my blog looked.

The Denver Zoo, Aquarium and the Butterfly Pavilion

As more and more bunnies re-open it’s good to keep informed on how some of these businesses are going to look with new guidelines  and restrictions. 

 

The Denver Zoo is now open to the public but has a lot of new changes that will help keep both animals and guest safe. The Denver Zoo now requires people to buy tickets online, that will help limit the amount of people within the zoo. The tickets purchased online will have times in which people can enter the zoo. The times will be staggered 15 minutes apart keeping the large amounts of people from entering. The zoo is also not accepting cash and has a one way path through the zoo. 

The Butterfly Pavilion has decided not to open for the summer to protect the health and safety of the community and their employees. Any tickets bought before they closed will be good until December 31st. 

The Denver Aquarium is also now open and says they plan to follow the states guidelines. The Aquarium is limiting how many people are allowed to walk through the exhibit. The Aquarium says that their 4D theater will remain closed. Their restaurant is open for dine-in inside and on their patio.

How Colorado’s numbers compare to other states

As things begin to re-open in Colorado and more people begin to leave their homes you might be wondering if our Coivd-19 cases and deaths have risen and how we compare to other states. As of June 24h there have been 31,155 cases reported in Colorado, that number has gone up from the prior day when the numbers where at 30,893 cases. 

There have also been a total of 1,667 deaths among those who have tested positive, that has risen from 1,665 the previous day. The number of deaths from those have died due to Covid-19 is at 1,457 up from 1,455 the day prior. The number of hospitalized deaths from the virus is also up, the previous day it was at 5,366, now it’s at 5,375. 

The safer-at-home orders have been extended to July 1st by Governor Polis. Polis has also singed an executive order that will extend the state of disaster emergency and providing additional funds for response activities due to the presence of Covid-19. 

The total amount of cases reported in the United States as a whole is at 2,336,615 that is 34,313 new cases within the United States. The number of deaths due to Covid-19 is 121,117 with 784 new deaths.

Colorado’s numbers are definitely on the higher scale, as you can see in the map Colorado currently is in the 20,000 to 40,000 reported cases range which is the second to highest ranking in the nation. The state’s who have had more reported cases are colored in dark blue that range is 40,001 or more Covid-19 cases. 

Texas, California, Florida, New York, Arizona and other east cost states have been hit the hardest and are currently in the dark blue range. Texas has 120,370 cases with a total of 2,220 deaths. California has 183,072 cases and a total of 5,580 deaths. California currently has the highest amount of cases.

 New York has 176,029 cases and a total of 8,627 deaths. New York has the largest death count in the nation. Florida has 101,303 cases and 3,238 deaths. 

While Colorado does not have as many cases as some of these other states we definitely do not have the smallest numbers in the United States. Montana has the lowest amount of cases in the United States. Montana has 766 cases and 21 deaths. Alaska has the lowest deaths in the United States, with only 12 deaths and 778 cases. Hawaii also has very few cases and deaths with  775 cases and 17 deaths.

Chaparral High School’s graduation ceremony

Chaparral High School is planning on having their graduation ceremony take place on Thursday the 25th, with some new rules and guidelines. 

Before and after each ceremony seats, podiums, handrails and other surfaces will be sanitized by a group of trained staff. Chaparral also advises anyone that isn’t feeling well or has a fever to stay home where they can watch the ceremony via livestream. Any graduate that isn’t feeling well and can’t come to the ceremony will still be honored. 

The ceremony will last about 90 minutes and only two family members are allowed to attend. Each family will be seated six feet apart from other families and every other row will be closed to maintain social distancing. 

When entering or exiting the ceremony members and guests must wear face masks. Guests and members are allowed to remove their masks once they are seated. 

Graduates will be seated six feet apart from one another on the football field and must maintain social distancing throughout the whole ceremony. Once the graduates name is called they will come up to the stage to be acknowledged in a no contact manner. 

After the ceremony is over everyone is asked to leave and not remain on the property.  

Amusement parks re-opening delays

While many businesses are re-opening this summer there are a few places that are experiencing delays in re-opening or aren’t planning on re-opening. 

Water world is one business that isn’t planning on opening for summer of 2020. With health guidelines a pool and amusement park of their size is not permitted to open for this summer. Water World also says that with the restrictions in place they wouldn’t be able to train and hire people in time to open. They plan to spend the summer updating the park and adding new rides for the 2021 season.  

Water World plans to extend any passes or tickets already purchased for this summer to next summer. As well as giving out $30 of Fun Bucks to spend in the park for anyone who has purchased the Splash Pass. 

Elitch Gardens is also experiencing issues trying to open for this summer. While they don’t plan to close for the summer of 2020 they are experiencing delays and doesn’t currently have a date that they will open, they are currently in the process of hiring and training employees. As well as planting flowers and testing the rides and water slides. 

Another amusement park that is experiencing delays is Lakeside Amusement Park. They don’t currently have a date that they plan to open. 

The University of Northern Colorado’s plan to return to campus

The University of Northern Colorado has made many decisions these last few weeks regarding Covid-19 and how the university plans to return to campus this fall. 

The University of Northern Colorado plans to return to in person classes on campus this fall. In a letter to students President Andy Feinstein lays out the plans to return to campus starting August 24th.  

UNC plans to have a hybrid style of teaching, with some classes being taught online while others will be taught in class. President Feinstein also says that appropriate social distancing guidelines will be followed. 

President Feinstein says that they are making plans for a possible second wave of Covid-19, an on campus case or additional stay-at-home orders. 

“I remain optimistic that we will offer in-person instruction for the entire academic year, but we must also prepare to adjust if required and maintain a level of flexibility should changes emerge after the fall semester begins,” said President Feinstein in his letter about students returning to campus. 

By June 30th information about hybrid classes, online classes and in-person classes will be shared with students and a new schedule will be finalized so students will be able to amend their schedules based on these changes. 

Classrooms have also been inspected to determine if changes to classroom spaces will need to be changed to meet health and safety guidelines. Logistics Task Force has been making adjustments to help control the foot traffic flow of buildings, floor decals for social distancing, installing plexiglass at service areas and working on classroom configurations. The UNC public  heath faculty experts also work to make sure housing, dining and recreation areas are following safety  guidelines. 

Students who plan to live on campus will be provided with room occupancy options by June 30th. 

In-person gatherings and meeting are also under advisement to protect students heath and safety  as well as keep the students college experience the same. President Feinstein is working on ways to modify organizations to use zoom and canvas as ways to conduct meeting and plan activities instead of in person meetings.

UNC Student Health Center is now providing Covid-19 tests and antibody test for the UNC community. 

President Feinstein has been attending virtual town hall meetings to help answers questions from students and their families. More details and information will be coming out in July about how students will register for new classes along with the dates and times of these new classes. 

Students can also visit The UNC Coronavirus website, the Weekly Operational Updates and UNC’s social media pages for more information.

UNC Board to Trustees also made the decision June 12th not to raise tuition this 2020-21 academic year because many UNC families have suffered financial loss due to Covid-19. The university has also set up a CARES Act fund for students during this difficult time. UNC distributed $3,825,107 into the CARES Act. Students will have to fill out a form to get funding as well as determine how much each students needs

Graduation ceremonies during Covid-19

Due to Covid-19 many high school and college graduation ceremonies were cancelled and now they ceremonies that will happen have a slightly different look to them. 

According to the Colorado Department of Education graduation ceremonies must follow certain  guidelines like, remaining six feet apart, no gatherings of ten or more, all participants must be screened for a fervor before the ceremony and the diplomas a cannot be be handed from person to person. As well as graduates having to wear face coverings and all ceremonies must be held outside. 

Douglas County schools are planning on taking these requirements into consideration and plan to have outdoor ceremonies the week of June 23rd, although that date my change. Douglas County says it will take at least a week for there plans to be denied or approved and will keep everyone up-to-date on graduation plans. 

Douglas County plans to hold smaller ceremonies with only ten seniors graduating at a time. Parents and family members will not be allowed to watch the ceremony in person. The ceremony will be live streamed from family members. Those who attend graduation will also have to wear face masks and remain six-feet-apart. 

“I’ve been so impressed with the positivity and maturity displayed by our seniors in spite of the many obstacles and challenges that have occurred due to this pandemic,” said the Superintendent in Douglas County’s latest update.