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NEW: @GovofCO Polis begins his briefing by saying Colorado has passed 500 COVID-19 deaths (506) and that "there's many more ahead." Will thread new details from the briefing here. #9NEWS #COVID19Colorado
Gov. Polis says at-risk Coloradans need to continue to stay home unless absolutely necessary. Gatherings of 10+ people will still be prohibited when the statewide stay-home order is lifted on Sunday.
Polis says the state is still developing guidelines for when restaurants and bars will re-open. Said Colorado is ruling that out in the Phase 2 which begins next week.
A good question. Journalists participating remotely are placed in a queue to ask questions by the Gov's press office. Not guarantee we'll be able to ask. I'll keep trying to get more fulsome answers on testing. https://twitter.com/MichaelsOpus/status/1253048151503597568
Yes, it appears that is what is happening. As a man who wears collar stays at work, I'll tell you it's impossible to remember them EVERY DAY. https://twitter.com/Racerman967/status/1253048421159591937
"Stay at home except when you need to leave," Polis says, in a line that could have come from Yogi Berra.
"It's not any kind of free for all," Polis said. "It's not an excuse to turn this into some kind of vacation. It's a pandemic, not a vacation."
Polis is now showing a slide illustrating the steps of lifting the stay-home order as ski slopes. Bunny hill through double black diamond. New transplants are baffled. Just stay home, Chad.
"I know we're having a little fun here in a Colorado way," said Polis. "If we are falling down left and right on that green circle, it means back to the bunny hill."
opportunity to monetize. i can't. conflict of interest. idea free for the taking. https://twitter.com/Julia_JJ/status/1253049590560862208
Polis says "as much as it pains me," a return to baseball this season will be very different, such as using spring training facilities perhaps without crowds. Polis is a big Rockies fan. Sport of choice when talking about need to avoid large gatherings.
"If you run a salon, if you run a store, you need the specifics," Polis says of the transition to Phase 2. He says those guidelines are coming in the next few days.
Polis says the next phase looks like the current stay-home order for vulnerable populations, specifically says grandparents should not be visiting family members. "We want to make sure that they're there at the day we can have fun with our extended family again," Polis said.
Polis says that offices that have been able to telecommute 100% should continue to do that. Offices will be allowed to resume at 50% of standard staffing.
NEW: Gov. Polis says individual county health departments have leeway to be stricter or to ask for exemptions from state public health guidelines as Colorado lifts its stay-home order. #9NEWS #covid19colorad
"We've never classified this as any kind of grand reopening," Polis says, in a crushing blow to business owners who have purchased Grand Reopening signs.
Polis says he really hopes 600 field hospital beds at the Colorado Convention Center and 250 at The Ranch in Loveland won't be needed.
Polis says hospitals are reporting stable levels of PPE and ventilators - says they bought enough time.
Polis says testing is the "buzz" of local and national media. Which is true. We've been buzzing about why the state's stated requirement for re-opening has been dropped.
"We cannot just test and trace our way out," Polis says. He correctly notes that widespread testing is one part of a multi-prong containment strategy.
Polis is now saying that testing alone would not keep Colorado under hospital capacity, which is something I've never heard a public health official suggest. Not sure what purpose this serves other than a straw man.
Polis is now describing Scenario F, the state modelers' most-hopeful scenario, which includes widespread testing as one of its main pillars. Yesterday, the state's lead modeler told us that they didn't even model a scenario without the widespread testing which Colorado now lacks.
Polis coughs. Carefully into his elbow. Perfect form. Well done.
Polis says we cannot reduce social distancing from the current 75-80% to 45-55% in May. State modelers most hopeful scenario actually says we need 55% distancing sustained at least through the end of November (which is where their chart cut off).
"Some people in the media and the general public are like, 'Hey, why aren't you focused on testing?'" Polis says. He said they have been focused on it but perhaps he hasn't talked about it enough.
Polis says 150k tests are arriving by end of week. 150k swabs to be delivered by mid-May.
"Just because I don't talk about (testing) every day doesn't mean that it's not the singular focus of a team of experts," Polis said. "Many folks have been focused on the testing & containment... but it doesn't work by itself." (again, don't know a health expert who's said that)
75% social distancing means a 75% reduction in your number of daily contacts (from a normal, pre-pandemic day) https://twitter.com/TrishShantz/status/1253056055770099712
Polis calls on Coloradans to post social media photos of their dry and chapped hands.
Polis says increased employee screenings at senior care facilities have caught 3-5 workers who tested positive. Says that could have saved the lives of 20 vulnerable Coloradans.
"We could go backwards or we could go forwards," Polis says, stressing that lifting social distancing restrictions is tied to Coloradans' compliance with suggested public health measures.
Polis says he's starting a new segment in his briefing in which he reads and answers comments from the general public. After four years of reading feedback live on #HeyNext, I can attest this is a terrible idea.
Polis reads a citizen comment about how people are not wearing masks because they see the stay-home order being lifted. This lines up with some anecdotes we've heard. Polis encourages people to keep wearing masks.
To Polis' credit, all three citizen comments he read were brutally critical of him. #HeyNext's experience suggest those are the most delicious morsels of feedback. Well done, Gov.
Polis says businesses should prioritize the ability for older workers and those with preexisting conditions to telecommute. He says workplace restrictions will be enforced. Calling on local officials to close down non-compliant businesses.
Polis says news articles "sensationalized" his comments to superintendents about whether K-12 schools will go back in the fall. He said schools should prepare to go back but he can't guarantee that it'll happen.
Polis says he is "very optimistic" that in-classroom instruction will resume in August with modifications to spacing in classrooms and changes to passing times, etc.
i imagine each will need a blow up bubble https://twitter.com/sarahshriver13/status/1253061626552434688
Polis is visibly frustrated that he's getting another question about testing. Says he wishes he's getting asked about the other containment strategies. "I hope that testing isn't just this week's news cycle," Polis said.
I asked Polis whether Colorado's lack of widespread testing will require the other measures (social distancing, mask wearing, sheltering at-risk people) will need to be more strict or last longer to compensate for testing gap. Polis said scale up of testing is baked into models.
Polis offered a follow up opportunity (appreciate that because questions by phone are at their discetion). I asked whether he would support local leaders who choose to extend stay-home orders when he didn't. Answer below in thread.
Polis said he would prefer local health officials look at site- or community-specific measures prior to a blanket stay-home order, but he said he would support the decisions made by local leaders.
Final question to Polis asks whether the public will understand the nuanced transition from stay-home to "Safer at Home" if he had to spend so much of his briefing clearing up miscommunication. "I'll take some of that on me," he said, pledging to increase transparency & info.
