SOUTHERN COLORADO — Good morning, Southern Colorado. Here are the 5 things you need to know for Wednesday, Aug. 18.
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New State and Federal COVID-19 Mandates
State workers at the Colorado Department of Corrections, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Public Health and Environment will be required to get vaccinated. Health department and DOC workers must be fully vaccinated by Halloween. DHS staff will be required to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 26. Also, a federal mandate has been extending requiring you to wear a mask if using public transit. Children under two and people with certain disabilities are exempt.
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Vaccine Booster Shots Updates
President Joe Biden is expected to announce a plan for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. Preliminary data suggest the general population might need a booster about 8 months after their final dose. Sources believe they could begin to offer the shots by mid-to-late September, pending FDA authorization
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Afghanistan Evacuations
According to the Department of Defense, as many as 22,000 refugees could be relocated in the next few weeks. The new Taliban controlled government promised not to interfere with the evacuation process and is vowing not to retaliate against citizens who've helped the United States. But this morning, NBC News is reporting that Taliban fighters are beating women and children at evacuation checkpoints in Kabul.
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Morton Elementary School Closed
A reminder that Morton Elementary School in Pueblo District 60 will remain closed into next week due to a collapsed sewage line. Students in first grade through fifth grade will transition to distance learning on Thursday. Parents are asked to pick up their devices for remote learning today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Parents of kindergartners will be given independent work packets.
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Colorado is going to get pretty active over the next few days but nothing severe will happen here at home. Today is going to be a hot and hazy day across Southern Colorado with dry skies along the Eastern mountains, I-25 corridor, and east into the plains. We'll be short of record heat but this is still well above average for mid-to-late August. Colorado Springs will hit a high of 92 degrees and Pueblo will hit 96.
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