'It's A Marathon': Gov. Jared Polis Talks About Possible Scenarios Once Stay-At-Home Order Is Lifted
DENVER (CBS4) - On Monday Gov. Jared Polis talked about what life will look like in Colorado once the stay-at-home order is lifted. That may be a little different than how we lived in the months leading up to the coronavirus outbreak.
"As the stay-at-home wears off we need to be able to maintain, pace ourselves, earn a living, pay your bills, have some fulfillment, joy in life, and that is at 60-65% social interaction," said Polis. "That is the April 27-May 4 period."
On April 27, businesses like salons, dog groomers and nail salons can reopen. Elective medical procedures can resume and dental offices can reopen.
Coloradans are still asked to wear masks in public, and gatherings of 10 or more people are banned.
On May 1, retail businesses can reopen with strict social distancing measures.
On May 4, commercial offices can open, but with only 50% of staff. Companies are encouraged to have symptom and temperature checks.
The target day for restaurants to reopen is mid-May with health data being taken into account.
As of Monday afternoon, there are 10,106 cases of coronavirus in Colorado with 449 deaths. There have been 47,466 people tested in Colorado with 1,880 hospitalizations overall. Polis said the hospitalization rate is leveling off, which is good news.
Polis talked about how Eagle County may be able to lift their public health orders a little early because of the great amount of work the county has been doing. Eagle County was one of the first counties in Colorado to enact public health orders, even before the state, because of their early spike in coronavirus cases.
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"It's a marathon, not a sprint," said Polis.
He also said to live your life not in fear, but with extreme caution. That also means that different parts of the state will react differently depending on how well people maintain social distancing and that there won't be a blanket set of guidelines for Colorado once the stay-at-home order is lifted.
"For months we need to pace ourselves," said Polis. "You can't go to nightclubs, but you can go shopping, get your hair cut. You need it, I need it."
After the stay-at-home order is lifted, Polis said he hopes many people will practice "safe-at-home."
The scenarios involve maintaining social distancing, wearing masks, protecting our most vulnerable populations and increasing testing. Health experts said the best scenario is a combination of all of those.
"People have to be able to make a living. You have to be able to leave your house," said Polis as he explained how the most extreme portion of the social distancing measures are nearing an end.
"Now we need to learn to figure out how to pace ourselves that is different and has a lot less social interaction."
Polis also talked about how telecommuting should be maximized during this time once the stay-at-home order is lifted.
Schools will remain closed.
"We can't stay home forever," said Polis as he stressed that everyone should act responsibly.
He also thanked Coloradans for staying at home during the past several weeks.
As for professional sports, Polis said he's been in contact with the leagues and they are still exploring options, including empty stadiums or half-capacity stadiums.
About The Colorado Stay-At-Home Order
Colorado's stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus outbreak went into effect on the morning of March 26 and it is currently set to expire on April 26.
