DENVER — Denver Public Schools (DPS) is taking another step to keep students safer amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this time on its buses.
DPS announced this week that it's installing germ-killing VioSafe lights on many of its buses. Ten buses so far have been outfitted with the technology, and DPS hopes to have the lights installed on all its buses by January, according to the school district.
DPS has 398 yellow school buses, according to the district's transportation webpage.
VioSafe lights shine across a 12-foot radius to help reduce contamination while providing white light that's safe for humans and animals, DPS says in a press release.
The new technology is intended as protection against COVID-19 and other viruses and bacteria, DPS says.
Many of the district's students are currently on full remote learning due to increasing COVID-19 cases. The City and County of Denver shifted last month to Level 3 on the on the state's COVID-19 dial due to troubling trends in data in areas such as the positivity rate and hospitalizations.
In addition to the VioSafe lights, DPS implemented new procedures this year for students who ride a bus to and from school. Those include:
- Buses operate at 33% capacity to maintain social distancing.
- Students and staff must wear face coverings at bus stops and on buses.
- Students are no longer allowed to share a seat.
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