On February 24, Mayor Michael Hancock received a letter signed by more than a hundred health-care professionals and students at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. We join the Denver homeless community and its allies in calling for an immediate end to the sweeps of outdoor encampments and the positive reallocation of resources toward safer living alternatives. Your office has defended the sweeps by arguing that they are necessary to protect the health of the general public, the letter began. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends against the removal of individuals who are living in encampments, as clearing encampments can cause disbursement throughout the city and increase the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus. Additionally, it is less likely that COVID-19 will be spread in outdoor encampments, as one local investigation has shown rates of COVID-19 infection were 9 percent in surveyed indoor shelters and only 2 percent in outdoor encam