The city still has concerns about how to open it safely with restrictions on crowd size due to the coronavirus.

GOLDEN, Colo. Access to Clear Creek within the City of Golden will remain closed this weekend, but city staff members are looking into ways to safely reopen it in the future. Until they can do that, the city the will keep it closed.

Last week, the city announced that the area would be closed ahead of the 4th of July weekend in an effort to prevent large gatherings, which are prohibited under guidelines related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision to close it was made after large crowds were observed during prior weekends. Temporary fencing is being used to close access to the creek.

Last weekend, some residential streets were blocked off; the city said that will not be the case this weekend. The downtown area is open for business, but the streets have been narrowed slightly to allow for expanded seating at restaurants and shopping.

"Crowding along Clear Creek is the biggest problem spot weve seen, which is why it is the focus of these decisions, Golden City Manager Jason Slowinski said last week. We understand closing off access to the creek wont solve all the problems we face with protecting ourselves and others against the spread of the virus. But it may help keep our city from becoming a hot spot.

On Thursday night, Golden City Council unanimously passed an emergency ordinance which expands current mask requirements to include indoor and outdoor areas of the city. The new rule goes into effect Friday.

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