The Colorado State Open Thread is published most Mondays at 7PM (or thereabouts) and may be as much as a week late, so please don’t hold your breath. Written by the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, as it were, it’s for those who care about Colorado in some shape or form. Please feel free to add your comments below and to volunteer to write one of these columns.
Today is the day that our Governor Jared Polis has begun the long-awaited liberation of the state of Colorado! I do understand that not all of you are being freed of your restrictions of association that are guaranteed to you by the founders in the US Constitution’s Bill of Rights, but for everyone, I urge caution, sequestration and taking no chances unless you absolutely must have twinkies from the gas station store (at which point you are perfectly understood). Seriously, however, the virus has not gone away, it is more widespread than ever, and you’re not likely to ever be forgiven if you bring some home to spread to your family.
There are several changes that have been made to the original plan proposed by the Governor and titled “Safer at Home” and I thought I would try and capture some of those (Mind you, IANAL, so if you have questions, you can get authoritative answers from the Governor’s office — all I can do is give you my best guess):
From the state website covid19.colorado.gov/… For the state level, so in effect state-wide, the following is the “Stay at Home” document that ended Sunday (last) night:
The statewide order document is at covid19.colorado.gov/…. That document explains what is required, what is encouraged, the differences between critical and non-critical businesses, the different types of employee classifications, how to try and minimize spreading the disease, definitions, etc. Many of those provisions will be continuing under the “Safer at Home” initiative.Stay-At-Home vs. Safer-At-Home
| Statewide stay-at-home order (ends April 26) | Safer-at-home (phased reopening, begins April 27) | |
| General population | Ordered to stay at home, except when absolutely necessary | Encouraged to stay at home, except when absolutely necessary |
| Gatherings | No gatherings over 10 people | No gatherings over 10 people |
| Face masks in public | Strongly advised | Strongly advised |
| Vulnerable populations and seniors | Stay at home, except when absolutely necessary | Stay at home, except when absolutely necessary |
| Critical businesses | Open, with strict precautions | Open, with strict social distancing precautions |
| Nursing homes | Strict precautions and protections | Strict precautions and protections |
| Retail | Only critical retail open | Open for curbside pick-up and delivery, gradually opening for in-person shopping with strict social distancing precautions |
| Workplaces | Reduce in-person workforce by 50%, maximize telecommuting | Reduce in-person workforce by 50%, maximize telecommuting, large workplaces encouraged to have symptoms and temperature checks |
| K-12 and higher education | Closed for in-person learning | Closed for in-person learning |
| Personal services (salons, tattoo parlors, dog grooming, gyms) | Closed | Open, with strict social distancing precautions |
| Real estate showings | Virtual showings only | In-person showings can begin, but no open houses |
The following are from the Fort Collins Coloradoan, but are subject to counties and cities imposing further restrictions:
On Monday, April 27, retail stores considered non-essential under the stay-at-home order may begin curbside pick-up services. Real estate showings may resume, but open houses are still not allowed. On Friday, May 1, retail and other non-essential business services may open for in-person interaction if implementing mandatory practices for their type of business. Personal services, such as hair salons, may open but must follow mandatory safety practices. Elective medical and dental services may resume with safety restrictions. On Monday, May 4, commercial offices may open but under restrictions, including no more than 50% of staff on the premises if in-person staff is needed. Telecommuting should be used to the maximum extent possible.Bars, restaurants, theaters, and gyms remain closed until further notice.
The Coloradoan lists many Northern Colorado counties and any differences that may exist between this list and what the counties are imposing. One item of note is that lodging will start opening back up in the Estes Valley. Multiple unit hotels will be allowed to rent half their rooms and single unit rentals (think condos and houses) will be allowed to rent with a maximum of 8 or 10 guests at a time.
The Denver Post added this information:
What about Denver’s stay-at-home order?
Mayor Michael Hancock issued Denver’s stay-at-home order before Polis’ statewide mandate — and it lasts longer, too. Denver’s stay-at-home order had been set to run through Thursday, April 30, but Hancock is extending that by two weeks, and it will now expire on Friday, May 8. A number of metro-area counties have followed suit, extending their orders to May 8 as well.
Stricter municipal orders supersede the state’s “safer at home” guidelines, which means that even if some types of businesses and services are allowed to resume in some fashion before May 1 under Polis’s plan, they’ll have to remain closed in Denver until the city’s order expires.
Furthermore, Denver’s shutdown of bars and restaurants to in-person customers lasts through May 11, and almost certainly longer. “The order will be extended, you can bet on that,” Hancock said on April 20. So it’s also possible the state will begin allowing phased reopenings of bars and restaurants before Denver permits such actions.
How do other counties’ stay-at-home orders differ?
Many of the counties that mirrored Denver’s stay-at-home extension to May 8 did something the Mile High City didn’t: They’re allowing non-critical businesses to reopen to curbside pickup beginning Monday, April 27. Counties that included that provision include Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield and Jefferson.
Here’s our full list of which Colorado counties have extended their stay-at-home orders.
Weld County (more lenient than Governor Polis allows, because it’s Weld County)
Weld County has announced "safer-at-work" guidelines, which allow all businesses to reopen Monday if they follow physical-distancing and increased cleaning practices.
“It is crucial that businesses reopen gradually and responsibly for the safety of their employees and their customers,” Commission Chairman Mike Freeman said in the safer-at-work order posted on the county's website. “No one should expect businesses to be operating at full capacity for a while, but it is important to let businesses at least start the reopening process.”
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a Friday news conference he believed Weld County's guidelines were reasonable, but not thorough enough to protect the county's residents. He reiterated that he wants to have an open and thoughtful dialogue with the county commissioners on their plan, but if Weld County does violate state public health orders they risk losing access to state emergency funding and businesses risk losing state licenses.
And…
Laramie County (Cheyenne) and Albany County (Laramie), Wyoming
Wyoming does not have a stay-at-home order. Personal services, child care, schools, bars, restaurants, gyms, theaters and other venues are closed through at least April 30.
Additionally, anyone coming into or returning to Wyoming from another state or country is required to self-quarantine for 14 days. A quarantine is not mandated for individuals traveling for business, volunteering to help with the COVID-19 response, receiving out-of-state health care, or parents fulfilling custody agreements. Those guidelines continue through at least April 30.
Please feel free to tell us in the comments what your county and/or city is doing and what you think about Colorado opening up. Or anything else that’s on your minds. The floor is yours...