Central Park – Avian Flu Announcement
City of Trinidad Communications Department
Date: 02/13/2023
Currently, Central Park is open. Last week we received reports of dead geese at Central Park and the
Health Department ordered it closed to remove them. We have received a presumptive positive for
Avian Flu for wildlife was collected from the park and tested but has not gotten official notice of positive
results. We recommend that you use caution in entering the park and avoid the area if possible until
further notice. Please don’t take your pets to the park.
At this time the city has no written guidance on how to clean up public spaces in which HPAI has been
detected. While the removal of dead bird carcasses limits other animals from ingesting infecting birds and
possibly acquiring HPAI, the removal of feces may be an unnecessary exposure to workers. While feces
can be removed, the virus may stay on the surface. Unfortunately, there may not be a point in
which HPAI is ever completely “cleared” from the park until HPAI is no longer circulating among wild
birds in the state of Colorado.
CDPHE continues to recommend individuals avoid direct contact with surfaces that appear to be
contaminated with feces from wild or domestic birds, if possible and avoid tracking those materials
home or to backyard flocks on boots and other items. While the risk to humans remains low, people
should avoid direct contact with wild birds and observe them only from a distance. Wild birds can be
infected with avian flu without appearing sick.
If dead or sick birds are found on public lands, people should not touch them and should not walk on
ice or enter any body of water to retrieve them. Do not handle any sick, dead, or dying birds. Please
refer to this link for more information on Avian Influenza:
https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/Avian-Influenza.aspx
According to the Health Department, if a dead bird removal is necessary, wear a mask, eye protection
(goggles), and gloves to pick up the bird, immediately double bag it, and place the bags in municipal
trash. Discard the gloves and mask and wash your hands immediately afterward with soap and water
for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
For additional information, please contact the City of Trinidad Communications Coordinator at:
Anissa.Roth@Trinidad.co.gov | 719-680-2719 or watch for updates on our City of Trinidad Facebook
page at: https://www.facebook.com/CityofTrinidadCO
Below is a flyer to circulate and use to keep safe during this time and until further notice
