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Gov. Polis Shares Grim Warnings As Coronavirus Surges Ahead Of Holidays

Screenshot from Governor Jared Polis on Facebook
Gov. Jared Polis addressed the state on Friday, saying that high rates of COVID-19 in the state could make Thanksgiving family gatherings like "bringing a loaded pistol for grandma’s head.”";s:

In a speech Friday afternoon, Gov. Jared Polis delivered some stern warnings  for the state as it goes through its most challenging throes of the pandemic. 

More than one thousand Coloradans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19. The state, and every county in the Roaring Fork Valley is seeing more new cases now than at any previous point in the pandemic.

“These are our darkest days as a nation, they are our darkest days as a state,” Polis said. “It’s going to take all of us working together to make it through the weeks and months ahead.”

A rapid spike in new infections has led to unprecedented COVID-19 presence across the state. Polis explained that one in 110 Coloradans is currently contagious. Such a high volume of infected people, he said, means that Thanksgiving family gatherings will likely lead to further spread.

Taking chances with the family gatherings while so many are contagious is like playing “Russian roulette,” Polis said. To help mitigate new transmission over the holiday, he suggested people isolate themselves for two weeks before meeting with family.

“The more family members that make that decision to self quarantine, the more likely it is that you’re not bringing a loaded pistol for grandma’s head,” he said.

Polis also outlined surge plans for hospitals. If the burden of COVID-19 patients begins to stress their capacities, they would scale back elective procedures, then utilize a new statewide transfer network to move patients to other hospitals. A worst case scenario could see hospitals expand into “alternative care sites” such as the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. 

 

Alex is KUNC's reporter covering the Colorado River Basin. He spent two years at Aspen Public Radio, mainly reporting on the resort economy, the environment and the COVID-19 pandemic. Before that, he covered the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery for KDLG in Dillingham, Alaska.
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