DENVER (KDVR) — Gov. Jared Polis says we’re learning new things about COVID every day but not to get complacent about it. We need to continue being vigilant about taking precautions to reduce the spread, he said.
Colorado gained 654 cases over the last 24 hours. Polis said he is concerned with the fact that hospitalizations have risen from 170 to 246 over a two-week period. He cited his concern for the quality of care if those numbers continue to rise.
Regarding COVID-19 in the White House, Polis said, “This should be a wake-up call for all of us. It shows that virus plays no favorites. It can affect any of us at any time. We don’t all have the ability of the same quality of care as the president does.
“The president shoots from the gut. His gut on not being scared or fearful is the right concept but then he takes it the wrong direction. He says don’t be fearful but then insinuates be careless.”
Polis said President Donald Trump is taking the wrong direction in what he’s telling people to do regarding the coronavirus.
“It’s not a time for fear, it’s a time for caution,” Polis said in response to Trump’s recent statement about not fearing the virus.
Polis used the comparison of Trump’s efforts to resume in-person learning in schools.
“The president, when he wants things to happen he doesn’t really understand how to do it in the right way,” he said. “But rather than have a plan to do it safely, the president tries to bully people to go back to school; ‘You have to return, you have to return,’ without actually helping the states or the school districts to return.”
Polis discussed the poor air quality from the fires burning in the state may be causing people to develop a cough. He said that if that cough persists, even if you think your cough is due to the smoky air, get tested for COVID-19.
Polis said the gauge the state is using to determine restrictions depends on each individual area and number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
He cited that some counties don’t have mask requirements and bars can stay open until 2 a.m. but others with high numbers of cases, need to continue following strict public health orders.
The governor said we are past the halfway point and that Colorado needs to proceed not with fear but with care.
“We are tired of the virus but the virus isn’t tired of us,” he said.