Coronavirus In Colorado: Denver Turns Into A Ghost Town

DENVER (CBS4) - This is not the Denver I know. The buildings are there, it's the people who are not. Downtown Denver looked much like a ghost town (to use an old cliche).

Ann-Marie Doerhoff , who was out jogging, remarked this is far from normal.

"There would be people everywhere checking into hotels, hopping onto trains," she said. She urged the stores and businesses still open to take the temperature of customers before they enter.

On this strange day there was woman with a large American flag walking down the street, protesting the shut down. She felt the government should let the people decide.

A man walked by a deserted Union Station, passing closed restaurants. Nearby police patrolled the 16th street mall. The city hopes to  educate, discourage then enforce the new stay at home order.

But the six foot apart rule did not seem to apply in Civic Center Park even as rangers stood nearby.

Many of those gathered are homeless people with no place to follow the "stay at home" order.

In Washington Park it was busy as those ordered to stay at home did one of the few fun things allowed under the order. It appeared many were keeping their distance, others were more social with couples walking with their arms around each other.

Mike Litman was walking through the park listening to an audio book.

"It's kind of scary. I go to the news there's horrible things going, yes it's scary."

Back near Union Station a regular buckster, Jentry McCombs, played his flute for a crowd of the two of us. His basket for tips... near empty.

"I'm going to still be alive when it's all over with," he said.

We all hope the same. This is not the Denver I know.

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