On April 27, Governor Jared Polis will begin to slowly open up the state, pulling back the restrictions he issued on March 26 when the “Stay-at-Home” order went into effect. As of Monday, April 20, Colorado had 10,106 confirmed cases, 449 deaths, and 1,880 hospitalizations.

The new phase, called “Safer-at-Home,” is a result of  data from CDPHE reporting hospitalizations across the state have held stable.

Safer-at-Home will continue to include important preventative guidelines, including:

  • Folks are still strongly advised to wear face coverings in public.
  • Gatherings over 10 people will still be banned.
  • Sick people should still avoid going to work.
  • Older Coloradans and vulnerable populations still need to stay at home unless absolutely necessary.
  • Elective medical and dental services may open with strict precautions and adequate personal protective equipment.
  • Retail businesses are allowed to open for curbside delivery on April 27, and slowly phase in regular operations under strict precautions beginning May 1.

Currently, the Stay-at-Home order has limited interactions by 75-80%, which slowed down the growth of the virus, and has bought more time to build hospital capacity, obtain equipment and ramp up testing. This new Safer-at-Home phase will relax some of these restrictions while maintaining a new level of social distancing: around a 60-65% reduction of normal interactions.

It’s important to note, that these restrictions and guidelines will remain flexible for local governments. Across the state, hospitalizations and infection rates differ leaving some areas seeking relief from the Stay-at-Home order and others needing to continue the strict orders. Eagle County had high rates of COVID-19 early in this process and has recently asked the state for permission to reopen.

Governor Polis encouraged local communities to work with the state to create individualized plans that are responsive to each community’s needs. Depending on the situation, local communities will have the flexibility to strengthen or relax local guidelines for social distancing and disease response as the situation in their particular community or region would allow.

This announcement is part of the initial roll-out of the Governor’s new statewide plan. State experts will continue to roll out information and guidelines to better inform businesses about what will be required to open their doors. It is likely that the Safer-at-Home phase will last a significant amount of time and some sort of social distancing will likely have to occur until a cure or vaccine is found.

CFB will continue to provide information and updates as they are received. For more detailed information about COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates in your community, please visit the state website: www.covid19.colorado.gov