Governor Polis Enacts Framework To Prevent New COVID Cases

Governor Polis instituted a new framework this week for managing COVID-19 as businesses begin reopening in Colorado. What legislators are calling Protect Our Neighbors, the third tier of guidelines is following the Stay at Home and Safer at Home orders. The framework is structured to incentivize local governments as well as observe what tactics are working to reduce a second wave of the virus. If communities can demonstrate strong public health and healthcare systems, as well as maintain low virus cases, they will have more control over relaxing restrictions. Protect Our Neighbors is set to launch at the end of June.

Currently, Coloradans are still operating under the Safer at Home guidelines. Governor Polis has iterated that different parts of the state will undoubtedly undergo different phases as they reopen. This may be based on several factors such as local conditions, population, capabilities, resources, response, and action. This new strategy provides flexibility to local health agencies to address closures, testing, case investigation, and contract tracing as necessary rather than adhere to statewide measures.

In order to qualify for Protect Our Neighbors, communities must meet scientifically established thresholds concerning rates and incidence of COVID-19. Specifically, lowering disease transmission levels, treating patients and managing the surge in need for intensive hospital care, and providing adequate testing that coincides with outbreak response. Gov. Polis sent a letter to the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention asking for further assistance to acquire more personal protective and testing equipment. However, it is still of the utmost importance that every Coloradan do their part by wearing masks, continue to practice social distancing, and stay home when sick.

“This is a marathon, not a sprint, and we have to find a way to sustainably live with this virus in our communities until there is a cure or vaccine. If we can continue to wear masks, stay six feet away from others, and empower our local public health agencies to meet the needs of their communities, then we can rely on these tools to flatten the potential second wave and reduce future outbreaks,” Governor Polis says. “Strong, local, public health and health care systems will be critical to successfully reopening our economy. If the key message in April was that we need to flatten the curve, the message now is that we need to take personal responsibility by wearing a mask when leaving the house and social distancing.”

As reported by The New York Times, 22 states have already seen a surge in cases of the virus since reopening nonessential businesses. Many doctors, scientists, health officials, and legislators across the country warned of a second wave if restrictions were lifted prematurely. A second wave of COVID-19 cases, paired with seasonal influenza, has a high probability of overwhelming hospitals and ICUs. Resources and manpower would be put at a huge disadvantage, as seen during the first peak of the pandemic, and may very well roll back progress that has since been made.

Gov. Polis is working to protect the health and safety of Coloradans by taking preventative steps, which often means implementing experimental tactics to determine the best course of action. Communities in Protect Our Neighbors will have strong, underlying public health and health care capacity that can respond to larger outbreaks, relative to population. This will allow them to permit all activities to occur at 50 percent of pre-pandemic capacity, as long as there are six feet between parties, with no more than 500 people in one setting at a time. Communities who do not meet the standards of Protect Our Neighbors will be required to follow guidelines associated with the Safer at Home order, which has been updated as of June 18. To access these guidelines, go to coloradosaferathome.com.