6:19 p.m. — One bridge tournament in Colorado Springs led to hundreds of cases and four COVID-19 deaths

This Denver Post story outlines how one tournament at the Colorado Springs Bridge Center in late February and early March exposed hundreds, many of them adults over 60 and therefore on of the most vulnerable populations.

5:52 p.m. — The historic Colorado Springs City Auditorium will serve as an isolation shelter for homeless COVID-19 patients

The historic downtown Colorado Springs City Auditorium was converted Wednesday afternoon into an isolation shelter for people experiencing homelessness who are sick with COVID-19.

Local government leaders are planning to seek aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help pay for the costs of the shelter.

“This shelter is absolutely vital in providing respite for these individuals while keeping our other homeless shelters safe and free of disease," Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said during a Tuesday press conference.

The shelter has cots for anywhere from 70 to 100 people. Local organizations will be working together to provide food, clothing and transportation to and from local hospitals.

— Dan Boyce and Abigail Beckman

5:49 p.m. — NorthCom is splitting up its commanders across multiple shifts and even locations as a precaution

U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs is taking the unusual step of splitting up and isolating some of its commanders as a precaution against COVID-19.

Northern Command is the part of the military focused on protecting the North American continent. It's based at Peterson Air Force Base, along with the Canadian defense partnership NORAD.

But, as NorthCom's duties ramp up in response to coronavirus, command teams are working in shifts. Some have been moved underground to nearby Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station as well as a third undisclosed location to protect against virus spread.

Some have even been isolated from their families.

The command has managed the military's coronavirus response, including sending naval medical ships to hard-hit coastal cities.

— Dan Boyce

5:32 p.m. — More live local music today

The Underground Music Showcase is bringing another local musician to you via a Facebook live video.

Today, Tyler Jacobson, co-founder of Mile High Soul Club, the regular all-vinyl soul music dance party, is spinning some records.

Streams with Grit will broadcast a Colorado artist every day starting around 5 p.m.

— Alex Scoville

4:35 p.m. — Weld County jail sees its first positive tests for COVID-19 in an inmate and several staffers

A Weld County inmate and four staffers at the jail have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Greeley Tribune.

Even more staffers had symptoms, but have not been tested and are in isolation at home.

The inmate has been incarcerated since 2018, so officials aren't sure where he contracted the virus — possibly from another inmate or an employee.

The Denver Jail reported an inmate with a COVID-19 test earlier this week.

Lawyers and criminal justice advocates have been calling for "decarceration" efforts within jails so those who have to remain inside can practice social distancing. Gov Jared Polis has given approval of this effort, but it's still mostly up to sheriffs and prosecutors about who stays in jails and who gets released.

— Allison Sherry

4:27 p.m. — The El Paso County Republican Party suggested in a now-deleted Facebook post that COVID-19 is a hoax

In a short-lived Facebook post, the Republican Party in El Paso County raised the idea that the COVID-19 pandemic might be a hoax meant to influence the public.

The message was posted on Wednesday and deleted by the middle of the day after the state party asked local GOP officials to remove it. It read:

“Hello El Paso County! Do you believe that the Coronavirus is a PSYOP (Psychological Operation)? Post your answer…the definition of (PSYOP) is below. Psychological operations (PSYOP) are operations to convey select information and indicators to audiences to influence their emotions, motives, and objective reasoning, and ultimately the behavior of governments, organizations, groups, and individuals.”

The post that was briefly up on the El Paso County Republican Party's Facebook page.

“We found the post to be inappropriate and asked the El Paso County GOP to remove it immediately,” said Joseph Jackson, a spokesman for the Colorado Republican Party.

Under a different post about coronavirus by El Paso County GOP Chair Vickie Cromwell Tonkins, a man posting under the name John Wood commented that he believes Coronavirus is a psychological operation,

“Tell me this Coronavirus isn’t that. Prove it to me. Because to me Coronavirus is psyops," the account wrote.

“You bet it is,” responded Cromwell Tonkins. She then included the definition of a PSYOP.

When asked to comment on the post and when it was taken down, Cromwell Tonkins said in an email: “It was up and we took it down … that is what happened.” She declined to provide any more information about the situation.

A Republican lawmaker from El Paso County called the post ridiculous.

“Obviously it’s influencing our behavior and that of our governments. But it is absolutely ridiculous to think people all over the world are participating in some type of liberal agenda conspiracy,” Republican state Rep. Lois Landgraf of Fountain said. “This disease is deadly serious and those who believe otherwise are very misguided. Anyone who is in a position of responsibility and talks about PSYOP endangering the lives of people. Shame on them.”

Update, 5:28 p.m.

The El Paso County Republican Party has posted a follow-up on their Facebook page.

"I'm sorry a few of you were offended by a definition, that was NOT the intention," the post reads. "I did not give an opinion I just asked what people's thoughts as we have asked your thoughts on other issues."

A follow-up post from the El Paso County Republican Party's Facebook page.

— Bente Birkeland

4:16 p.m. — Updated coronavirus case numbers

The latest data from state health officials differs slightly from the numbers Gov. Jared Polis had just hours before.

There are 3,342 cases of COVID-19 in Colorado, 620 of which require hospitalization. Eighty people have died due to the disease.

There is one additional outbreak in a residential or non-hospital health care facility, bringing the total to 17. It is at the Courtyards at Mountain View in Denver County. We identified the other 16 known to us below.

The state has tested more than 18,500 people.