Weekly Policy Update: Governor Polis Issues Safer at Home Executive Order
By: Colorado BioScience Association Date: 04/24/2020
On Sunday, Governor Polis issued a new Executive Order to move Colorado to the Safer at Home phase. The Safer at Home Order phases in the reopening of certain businesses over the next week, while continuing to ask residents to stay home as much as possible, especially vulnerable populations and seniors. The order is set to expire 30 days from April 27, but it can be amended or extended at any time.
The order also allows local public health departments to implement their own data-driven strategies that best meet the needs of their community. Localities have the option to go further than the state, issuing or extending their stay at home orders or implementing other protective measures. They can also relax guidelines more than the state’s order, but to do so they would need to have very low case counts and demonstrate proof of 14 consecutive days of decline of COVID-19 infection in the jurisdiction.
Several counties have already extended their Stay at Home Orders or revealed plans to reopen. All county updates can be found here.
Timeline for Businesses to Reopen under Safer at Home
Monday, April 27
- Retail businesses can open for curbside delivery. Real estate home showings can resume.
- Voluntary or elective medical, dental, and veterinary surgeries and procedures may resume if facilities are following required safety protocols, as outlined in the recent Elective Surgeries Executive Order.
Friday, May 1
- Retail businesses can phase-in a public opening if they are implementing best practices.
- Personal services can open if they are implementing best practices.
Monday, May 4
- Offices can reopen at 50% reduced in-person staffing capacity, if best practices are being implemented to protect the health and safety of employees. Businesses are encouraged to allow employees to continue telecommuting at higher levels if possible.
- Child care facilities can also expand or reopen if they are following best practices.
Under Safer at Home, K-12 school districts and higher education institutions remain suspended from in-person instruction for the remainder of the school year. Gatherings of more than 10 people will continue to be prohibited.
On Monday, the Administration issued a Public Health Order to outline the requirements for implementation of Safer at Home. They also released a frequently asked questions document.
CBSA will continue to monitor developments at the state level and keep our life sciences community updated on new directives and requirements that could impact our members.