Gov. Jared Polis on Sunday urged Coloradans to work from home as often as possible as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to climb.
“With more than 4,000 cases on average per day and a (seven-day) positivity rate of more than 12%, it is imperative that Coloradans lessen their interaction with one another,” the governor’s office stated in a news release.
“Coloradans working remotely when possible will save lives,” Polis stated in the release. “Every Coloradan needs to step up and do our part to keep our communities healthy and our economy running, and they include working from home whenever possible these next few weeks.”
About 1 in 110 Coloradans are actively contagious, according to the release, which stated all “Colorado residents need to increase efforts to reduce contact with people in other households, wear masks, and stay home if they are sick to stop transmission.”
The news release also included a number of supporting statements for an increased focus on remote work from local leaders from across the state. Among them were Adams County Commissioner Emma Pinter, Arvada Mayor Marc Williams, Aurora Mayor Mike Coffmann, Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock, Englewood Mayor Linda Olson, Lakewood Mayor Adam Paul, Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar, Routt County Commissioner Beth Melton, Summit County Commissioner Elisabeth Lawrence, Westminster Mayor Herb Atchison and Boulder County Commissioner Elise Jones.
“In an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 and keep our communities safe, Boulder County staff have been working remotely, where possible,” Jones stated in the release. “We all must do our part to protect the health and safety of our communities.”
Boulder County has seen its COVID numbers trending up in recent weeks and in response on Thursday, the county Board of Health approved strict new requirements that went into effect Saturday and extend to Dec. 14. The new protective measures are in addition to requirements mandated by the county being in Safer at Home Level Orange: High Risk status on the state’s COVID dial, which the county moved to on Nov. 6.
The new requirements limit the size of private and public gatherings and limit business capacity. While personal gatherings will continue to be allowed for up to 10 people from no more than two households, public health officials are urging residents to avoid all gatherings for the time being, according to a news release issued last week.
The new public health order is aimed at reducing COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations, Jeff Zayach, Boulder County Public Health executive director, stated in a release last week. If cases don’t decline, the state could change Boulder County’s status to Stay at Home, which is red on the dial.
“It comes down to all of us taking personal responsibility to stay home when we’re sick; following the quarantine and isolation instructions for the required length, even if we feel well, spending time with only our own household members; and always wearing a mask and keeping social distance when we are around others,” Zayach stated.
As of Monday morning, 8,553 Boulder County residents had tested positive or were considered probable for COVID, with 294 people hospitalized. The number of people who died with COVID totaled 106, and the number of news cases per 100,000 people in the past 14 days was 724.7, according to county data.
Statewide, there were 163,417 COVID cases as of Monday morning, with 11,124 hospitalizations, according to data from the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. Deaths due to COVID totaled 2,234 on Monday morning and there 2,546 deaths among cases, according to the state health department.
