Governor Polis Provides Update on Colorado’s Response to COVID-19

DENVER - Gov. Polis today updated Coloradans on the state’s response to the coronavirus and discussed how Colorado communities are coming together in a day of remembrance for the Coloradans lost to COVID-19.

“It is important to remember that those we have lost are more than just numbers on a bulletin, or a statistic, or an obituary in the local newspaper. Every person we have lost to this horrible pandemic has a story and a community of loved ones in mourning. It’s on all of us to come together to support each other during these times of such agonizing grief,” said Governor Jared Polis. “It remains critical that we all do our part: wear a mask when leaving the house, wash our hands frequently, and continue staying home as much as possible. If we all do our part, we can help protect ourselves, our neighbors, those who are vulnerable and the front lines workers who are trying to keep us safe.”

At 7:00 p.m., the State Capitol, along with cities, counties and other organizations, will be turning their building lights red to honor those who have fallen victim to this deadly virus. The state is encouraging buildings and businesses across the state to turn their lights red at 7:00 p.m. and for police and fire departments to turn their lights on at 7:00 p.m. for one minute. Coloradans can participate by wearing a mask or face covering and observe a moment of silence at 7:00 p.m. Coloradans are also encouraged to post on social media to raise awareness about the remembrance event.

At the time of this release, the following cities, counties have confirmed that they will participate:

City and County of Broomfield	City of Littleton	Town of Green Mountain Falls
City and County of Denver	City of Lone Tree	Town of Gypsum
City of Alamosa	City of Longmont	Town of Keenesburg
City of Arvada	City of Louisville	Town of Kersey
City of Aspen	City of Loveland	Town of Lyons
City of Aurora	City of Manitou Springs	Town of Mancos
City of Boulder	City of Northglenn	Town of Monument
City of Burlington	City of Pueblo	Town of Morrison
City of Castle Pines	City of Sheridan	Town of Mountain Village
City of Centennial	City of Thornton	Town of Mt. Crested Butte
City of Colorado Springs	City of Victor	Town of Nederland
City of Commerce City	City of Westminster	Town of Oak Creek
City of Craig	City of Wheat Ridge	Town of Pagosa Springs
City of Dacono	City of Woodland Park	Town of Palisade
City of Durango	City of Yuma	Town of Paonia
City of Edgewater	Commerce City	Town of Parachute
City of Englewood	Town of Avon	Town of Parker
City of Evans	Town of Bennett	Town of Rangely
City of Federal Heights	Town of Blue River	Town of Red Cliff
City of Fort Collins	Town of Breckenridge	Town of Severance
City of Fort Morgan	Town of Carbondale	Town of Silverthorne
City of Fountain	Town of Crested Butte	Town of Silverton
City of Fruita	Town of Dillon	Town of Telluride
City of Glendale	Town of Dolores	Town of Vail
City of Glenwood Springs	Town of Elizabeth	Adams County
City of Greeley	Town of Erie	Boulder County
City of Greenwood Village	Town of Estes Park	Douglas County
City of Gunnison	Town of Firestone	Elbert County
City of Idaho Springs	Town of Frederick	Lake County
City of La Junta	Town of Frisco	Las Animas County
City of Lafayette	Town of Garden City	Park County
City of Lakewood	Town of Granby	Pueblo County
City of Lamar City of Montrose	Town of Grand Lake	Summit County

The following organizations and buildings have confirmed that they will participate:

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment	Denver Broncos	Colorado Rockies
The Pepsi Center	Empower Field at Mile High	Coors Field
Denver Center for the Performing Arts	McNichols Civic Center Building	Other Denver city & county buildings
History Colorado	Colorado School of Mines	Edgemark Self Storage
Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center	Fort Vasquez Museum	Trinidad History Museum

Today is also Peace Officers Memorial Day, which honors the critically important law enforcement officers who put themselves on the line to protect their communities. Colorado is commemorating this day by lowering flags to half staff from sunrise to sunset. Now more than ever, Colorado first responders and officers on the front lines are crucial to protecting public health and safety.

The Governor also took a moment to thank senior care facility workers who work with seniors and other vulnerable populations.

Gov. Polis announced that the state joined a letter to the federal government requesting that ski resorts can access relief funds like the Paycheck Protection Program. Many of Colorado’s prestigious ski areas have been denied loans because the workforce is seasonal, though seasonal workers are even more vulnerable to an economic crisis like the one Colorado is experiencing. Colorado’s tourism and outdoor recreation industries are a crucial part of the state’s economy.

The Boettcher Foundation has approved more than $1 million in biomedical research grants for several of Colorado’s top research hospitals and universities, including:

University of Colorado
Colorado State University
Children’s Hospital
And National Jewish

Biomedical research is a top public health priority for response, treatment, and future pandemic prevention, and Colorado is proud to have this life saving work done in Colorado.

View the Governor’s presentation and watch the full news conference.

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