{"id":88953,"date":"2020-04-27T19:19:52","date_gmt":"2020-04-28T01:19:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/polis-issues-order-providing-details-on-new-safer-at-home-phase\/"},"modified":"2020-04-27T19:19:52","modified_gmt":"2020-04-28T01:19:52","slug":"polis-issues-order-providing-details-on-new-safer-at-home-phase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/polis-issues-order-providing-details-on-new-safer-at-home-phase\/","title":{"rendered":"Polis issues order providing details on new \u2018safer-at-home\u2019 phase"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Customers
Customers pick up meals from the Vine Bistro restaurant in downtown Montrose on March 17. All restaurants and bars in Colorado are closed until at least April 30.<\/span>William Woody\/Special to The Colorado Sun<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Gov. Jared Polis on Sunday evening issued a six-page executive order outlining Colorado\u2019s new \u201csafer-at-home\u201d phase of the coronavirus crisis as he begins to gradually ease restrictions on people\u2019s movement starting Monday.<\/p>\n

The directive was issued just hours before his statewide stay-at-home mandate expired Sunday at midnight. \u201cTogether, Coloradans have been effective in leveling and flattening the curve, but life will remain much more dangerous than usual these next few months and we should all wear masks when in public,\u201d the governor said in a written statement Sunday evening. \u201cSafer-at-home is by no means a free-for-all.\u201d<\/p>\n

The safer-at-home order is tentatively set to expire May 27, but can be extended or amended at any time.<\/p>\n

Under order, Coloradans will not be able to recreate beyond 10 miles from their homes and are prohibited from gathering in groups of 10 or more people.<\/p>\n

Some of the other big highlights include:<\/p>\n

Curbside retail sales can begin Monday. Real estate showings \u2013 but not open houses \u2013 can resume. <\/em>Voluntary or elective medical, dental and veterinary surgeries and procedures may resume Monday if facilities are following required safety protocols. <\/em>On May 1, retail stores can reopen for in-person shopping. Personal services businesses, like barbershops, salons, personal trainers and tattoo parlors, can reopen as well. All businesses must follow strict social-distancing measures. <\/em>On May 4, offices can reopen with up to 50% of their workforce as long as they are following strict social distancing measures. Telecommuting is strongly encouraged whenever possible. <\/em>Employers are directed to accommodate workers with child care responsibilities or those who live in the same house as someone vulnerable to the coronavirus by allowing them to telecommute or have a flexible schedule \u201cto the greatest extent possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Polis is directing the Colorado Civil Rights Division to provide guidance to prevent discrimination in the workplace related to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. \u201cEmployers must provide reasonable accommodations and are prohibited from discriminating against employees who are showing symptoms of COVID-19 or who have been in contact with a known positive case of COVID-19,\u201d the order says.<\/p>\n

The safer-at-home executive order will apply to only about half of the state\u2019s population.<\/p>\n

The rest will remain under a stay-at-home order until at least May 8 after officials in Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield and Jefferson Counties opted to keep the mandate in place while more testing and better disease tracing is put in place. The one exception is that curbside retail sales are now allowed in these areas.<\/p>\n

Polis had vowed to give Coloradans plenty of heads up about what the new phase of life during coronavirus would look like, saying at an April 13 news conference that the details would be released before Sunday. \u201cIt will be a few days before and folks will know exactly what\u2019s going and what\u2019s not going,\u201d Polis said April 13.<\/p>\n

But his safer-at-home executive order was issued about six hours before the statewide stay-at-home order, which went into effect on March 26, expired Sunday.<\/p>\n

The governor\u2019s staff said a great deal of work went into the order.<\/p>\n

\"Jared
Jared Polis speaks to reporters about the new coronavirus in March. Polis issued a six-page executive order Sunday outlining Colorado\u2019s new \u201csafer-at-home\u201d phase of the coronavirus crisis as he begins to gradually ease restrictions on people\u2019s movement starting Monday.<\/span>Jesse Paul\/The Colorado Sun<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cThe governor and our team have been working around the clock,\u201d Polis\u2019 spokesman, Conor Cahill, said in a written statement. \u201cThe governor outlined during news conferences this past week, and has been engaging with a variety of stakeholders about what the safer-at-home phase will look like for Coloradans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cahill said the governor\u2019s office shared a draft of the safer-at-home executive order with \u201cthousands of stakeholders\u201d on Friday to get feedback. Reporters and the public did not see the order, however, until Sunday evening.<\/p>\n

Polis plans to hold a news conference at 1:30 p.m. Monday to further discuss the safer-at-home period.<\/p>\n

The executive order says Coloradans who are 65 years of age or older, or who have a chronic respiratory or heart condition, should stay home except for necessary activities, like grocery shopping. They can also leave should they need to perform critical government functions or to work at a critical business.<\/p>\n

However, people in these categories \u201ccannot be compelled\u201d to work in person.<\/p>\n

The guidance applies, as well, to pregnant women, people who are immunocompromised and people who are determined by a licensed health care provider to be at high risk.<\/p>\n

Beyond aspects of the order dealing with businesses, schools will continue to teach remotely through the scheduled end of the academic year. However, the order allows districts to use their buildings to distribute essential materials, equipment and food, and authorizes small in-service meetings.<\/p>\n

The order also allows for small-group instruction and OKs in-person counseling and special education services.<\/p>\n

Polis has been clear that the safer-at-home phase is not a grand reopening or a return to normalcy in Colorado. Instead, he said, it\u2019s a way to allow for some economic activity to resume.<\/p>\n

The governor says people should continue to stay at home as much as possible.<\/p>\n

If the spread of the virus spirals out of control, he has said, restrictions could be put back in place either on the local or statewide levels.<\/p>\n

Polis\u2019 hope is that through a combination of mandates, mask-wearing, increased testing and infection tracing, Colorado can manage the virus and prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed. But doing so requires a razor-thin balance, according to modeling from the Colorado School of Public Health that Polis has been using to make decisions.<\/p>\n

Even a slight problem with compliance could result in the virus spreading too quickly.<\/p>\n

Through Sunday, the coronavirus had killed nearly 700 people in Colorado. There were more than 13,400 confirmed and probable cases.<\/p>\n

The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported, journalist-owned news outlet exploring issues of statewide interest. Sign up for a newsletter and read more at coloradosun.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Best practices<\/h4>\n

Colorado\u2019s stay-at-home order ended Sunday. The state now moves into a \u201csafer-at-home\u201d period, which includes the first phase on Monday when curbside retail and real estate showings begian. On Friday, retail and personal services can open if implementing best practeices. And on May 4, non-critical offices can reopen if implementing best practices and lower density.
\n Best practices for all businesses include:
\n Worksites:
\n Deputize workplace coordinator(s) charged with addressing COVID-19 issues.
\n Maintain 6-foot distancing when possible, and discourage shared spaces.
\n Frequently sanitize all high-touch areas.
\n Post signage for employees and customers on good hygiene.
\n Ensure proper ventilation.
\n Avoid gatherings (meetings, waiting rooms, etc) of more than 10 people.
\n Implement symptom monitoring protocols (including workplace temperature monitoring and symptom screening questions) where possible.
\n Eliminate or regularly sanitize any items in common spaces (i.e., break rooms) that are shared between individuals (i.e., condiments, coffee makers, vending machines).
\n Provide appropriate protective gear like gloves, masks, and face coverings and encourage appropriate use.
\n Employees
\n Require employees showing any symptoms or signs of sickness, or who has been in contact with known positive cases to stay home.
\n Connect employees to company or state benefits providers.
\n Provide flexible or remote scheduling for employees who need to continue to observe stay-at-home, who may have child or elder care obligations, or who live with a person who still needs to observe stay-at-home due to underlying condition, age, or other factors.
\n Encourage and enable remote work whenever possible.
\n Minimize all in-person meetings.
\n Provide hand washing facilities\/stations and hand sanitizer.
\n Encourage breaks to wash hands or use hand sanitizer.
\n Phase shifts and breaks to reduce employee density.
\n Wear appropriate protective gear like gloves, masks, and face coverings and encourage appropriate use.
\n To protect customers:
\n Create special hours for people at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
\n Encourage and facilitate 6-foot distancing inside of the business for all patrons.
\n Encourage use of protection like gloves, masks and face coverings.
\n Provide hand sanitizer at entrance.
\n Install shields or barriers where possible between customers and employees.
\n Use contactless payment solutions, no touch trash cans, etc. whenever possible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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