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Coloradans Under Stay At Home Order Effective Thursday

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Wednesday issued a statewide Stay at Home Order in an effort to stem the spread of COVID-19 cases in the state.

Polis announced during a press conference that starting Thursday, all Coloradans are required to stay at home through April 11.

“It’s important for you to know that I am speaking to all of Colorado when I say now is the time to stay at home,” Polis said, adding that while social distancing and self-isolation measures has increased, it isn’t enough to contain the spread of the virus. “Which is why we’re resorting to this measure, this extreme measure, at this time. To make sure that people know that they need to stay in their homes whenever possible.”

Polis explained that the order means individuals should only interact with members of their own households and only leave their homes when absolutely necessary, meaning trips to the grocery store or to pick up food, to assist vulnerable loved ones or if medical attention is needed.

He added that the vulnerable, including the sick and elderly, need to stay home at all times.

“Please offer to shop for them, leave the gorceries at the doorstep and do what they need to stay isolated,” he said.

Polis said the purpose of the order is also to buy time.

“We need time to build the hospital capacity; acquire the ventilators that we need to save lives,” he said.

He implored Coloradans to abide by the order in order to save lives, not just one or two lives, but potentially thousands.

The number of COVID-19 cases topped the 1,000-mark as of Wednesday, with 147 hospitalizations and 19 deaths in 36 counties.

The Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE) is also reporting nine outbreaks at residential and non-hospital healthcare facilities, but isn’t providing specific information about those locations at this time.