July 2020

ALCOHOL SALES LAST CALL

Governor Polis announced today that for the next 30 days, the state is suspending all alcohol sales from licensed facilities past 10 p.m. instead of the previous cap at 2 a.m. This measure, coupled with last week’s order that closed bars statewide, is part of a large-scale effort to reduce risk in an inevitably high-risk environment. As cases continue to rise, it is more important than ever to continue modifying our behavior and understand what is and what isn’t risky and irresponsible behavior.  People inviting large groups to socialize from outside of their household and not keeping a safe distance of 6 feet or more is a textbook example of risky behavior. We have to double down on social distancing and strengthen our public health response, not hinder it. The nature of the virus alone does a great job setting us back. That’s why we can’t give it the opportunity to do what it does best: spread. Our health, our loved ones’ health, and our state economy’s health depend on it.

BACK TO BASICS

Across the nation and in our state, COVID cases are trending upwards, and the biggest driver of this increase is young people aged 20 to 29, who are not taking proper precautions when socializing. Many young people in our state are doing their part to wear masks, but without following recommended social distancing guidelines, we all risk accelerating transmissions of the virus and failing to contain its spread. Ultimately, we need to get back to basics. Practically speaking, this means: Teleworking if you can and continuing to work from home. If you go camping, go with just your household -- or if you socialize with friends, stay 6 feet apart and keep your mask on. Limiting groups to under 10 people, and staying outside to socialize. Taking fewer trips to the grocery store or ordering your groceries online, especially if you are in a high risk category. And it means calling your local public health agency, if you work in an essential business and your employer has not implemented proper social distancing measures in the workplace. The actions that all Coloradans take in the coming days and weeks will have a significant impact on plans for the fall. We are in a precarious moment and personal responsibility is key. Only by acting in moderation and continuing to practice social distancing will we see less tests coming back positive and create more opportunities to get our economy back on track. Furthermore, the State of Colorado remains committed to supporting local agencies across the state. Smaller course corrections now reduce the need for sweeping course corrections later on. That’s why the state is working hard to help local public health agencies develop unique and community mitigation plans instead of a one-size-fits-all approach. And ensuring that these local agencies receive the support and technical assistance they need helps establish a first line of defense statewide. With all of us working together, we can achieve the outcome we all desire: a way to live with this virus with minimal disruptions to our Colorado way of life.

COVID RELIEF FUND

Today, the Governor highlighted Kaiser Permanente’s $500,000 contribution to Colorado's COVID Relief Fund. $300,000 of this donation will go towards organizations applying to do contract tracing with a focus on cultural competency within our communities, while the other $200,000 will come from Kaiser’s employee donation matching program that runs through September 30th. Now, more than ever, these types of responses are needed by organizations in our community that have the resources to act. To complement best practices like mask-wearing and social distancing, it’s critical that we build the infrastructure for widespread contact tracing. This is especially crucial in our efforts to help serve populations that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. To date, more than 765 organizations have benefited from Colorado's COVID Relief Fund. The state is incredibly grateful to all companies, large and small, that have supported our COVID response. Eligible organizations can apply for funding right now by visiting www.helpcoloradonow.org.

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