Some Colorado businesses can reopen May 1 as Polis shifts from stay-at-home to “safer at home”

Gov. Jared Polis on Monday laid out more detailed guidelines for Colorado’s reopening after the statewide coronavirus stay-at-home order expires April 26.

Retailers will have the option to open May 1, Polis said, as long as they have social-distancing policies in place. Business offices can reopen the following Monday, May 4, he said, although he added telecommuting should be maximized as much as possible, particularly with older employees.

Restaurants and bars will stay closed initially but might be allowed to open in mid-May, he said. Schools will not reopen immediately. Personal service providers, like hair salons, will be able to reopen with some precautions on April 27, such as hair stylists wearing masks. One-on-one real estate showings — though not open houses — and child care can restart then, too.

The state will need to shift from staying-at-home to being “safer at home,” Polis said, warning that Colorado’s reopening will be a long, painstaking process even after the order lifts.

“It is a marathon, not a sprint,” he said. “We are going to have to live with coronavirus for a while.”

He later added: “Folks should still stay home when they can.”

Colorado residents need to continue to reduce their social contacts for months to come even after the order lifts, Polis said. While the stay-at-home order successfully created about 75% to 80% social distancing in Colorado, the state will need to maintain about 65% social distancing in the coming months to avoid overwhelming the health care system.

Older people and those with underlying health conditions should be prepared to keep practicing social distancing in May at about the same level as they did in April, Polis said.

Polis noted that some parts of the state will be able to reopen to a fuller degree than others, depending on the virus’s reach. Local public health agencies will be working to tailor their local strategies, he said.

“That flexibility is going to be very important,” he said.

The state is ramping up coronavirus testing at long-term care facilities across the Front Range, with new sites opening up Sunday at facilities in El Paso, Adams and Broomfield counties. Three hundred tests will be provided this week at Pikes Peak Center, Elms Haven Center and Broomfield Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

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