Pueblo announces end of evening bell, start of neighborhood warnings for COVID-19 in wastewater

PUEBLO, Colo (KRDO) – Two developments related to pandemic on Wednesday included the end of one restriction and the announcement of what Mayor Nick Gradisar called an ‘early COVID warning system’.

Gradisar said during an afternoon conference that he was stopping the night watch he had ordered two months ago to reduce the spread of the virus in pubs and other places.

The move comes because a positive case has fallen over the past two weeks.

“I hope the trend will continue,” Gradisar said. “If we see another activity, I certainly reserve the right to reset the evening clock. But my intention at this point is not to reset the evening clock.”

The mayor was asked if he thinks the evening clock works in general, although some of the highest COVID numbers in the city came during that time.

“I think it worked,” he said. “It’s hard to say how much it helped bring our numbers down. But it limited people’s movement. If we did not have the evening clock, our numbers might have been worse.”

Gradisar also revealed that the city will launch a reverse 911 warning as early as next month for neighborhoods that contain high levels of the virus in wastewater.

“We have been testing wastewater in our seven sinks since August,” he said. “We sent the results to Colorado State University. The test showed that there was a strong correlation with high virus levels in wastewater and a large number of positive COVID cases.”

The mayor said when the virus levels rise in wastewater, the neighborhoods concerned will receive a reverse 911 alert from the police emergency operations center.

“Residents will be reminded to wear a mask, distance themselves socially and be asked to get a free COVID test at one of our two locations,” he said. “They will also be asked to isolate themselves until they get their test results back.”

Gradisar said the system would hopefully provide early warning and enable residents to take the necessary steps to protect themselves.

“It gives us five days delivery time,” he said. “It can help get tests done earlier and reduce the risk of spreading in the community.”

The mayor said about 20 communities are conducting wastewater tests, but Pueblo is the only one taking the extra step to include a warning system.

“As for the variant of COVID-19 that appeared in Colorado, I do not think it will be detected in the wastewater,” he said. “I think it will appear just like COVID-19. If nails in the wastewater lead to more testing, I think we have the ability to handle it.”