Gov. Jared Polis Visits Western Slope Schools

DELTA COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4)- Gov. Jared Polis visited the Western Slope on Friday to talk about how counties there are handling the coronavirus pandemic. The positivity rate on testing in Mesa County is 1.3% which is below Colorado's 7-day average of 3.68%.

Polis also visited a school in Delta County to see firsthand look at the work being done to protect students.

"I really enjoyed visiting Delta Middle School earlier today, it was really great to see their best practices, the cohorts, the mask wearing, the integration of the outdoors, the new outdoor obstacle course that kids are enjoying," said Polis.

The state is providing thousands of medical grade masks to schools on the Western Slope. Currently, it adds up to about 800 masks a week to Delta County, 4,000 a week to Mesa County and 1,100 masks a week to Montrose.

"As we continue traveling the state, I'm excited to see how each community is responding to this pandemic and supporting each other. It's great to be here on the Western Slope and I applaud the work that so many local businesses and cities have done to protect the health and safety of residents," said Polis in a statement. "Our Western Colorado communities serve as a critical part of our state's economy and will play an important role in building back even stronger than before. This part of our state serves as a hub for the outdoor recreation industry, which has really been bolstered as so many Coloradans are turning to the outdoors during this pandemic. In order to continue enjoying what we all know and love about our state, we must do an even better job of wearing masks, avoiding large crowds, and physically distancing and there are great opportunities to be safe in the vast, great outdoors of western Colorado."