President unveils plan to slowly re-open States, Colorado officials say what needs to happen first

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Needless to say, everyone is counting down the days when they can resume normal activities. To that effect, President Donald Trump announced a new three-phase plan Thursday giving States a set of guidelines of how they can 're-open'.

The President's plan includes opening schools, restaurants, arenas, and more but gradually with strict social distancing restrictions in place. President Trump is also leaving it up to each State's Governor to decide the timing that is best for them.

Scott Bookman, the incident commander for COVID-19 in Colorado says Governor Jared Polis has already made it clear until there is mass testing for the virus available on a consistent basis we won't be easing restrictions.

"Having enough testing capacity is one of the key requirements of opening up the State," Bookman said in a State-wide update Thursday.

Bookman says they are working around the clock to make that happen. The goal is to have at least one testing facility in each of Colorado's 64 counties, especially in the State's rural counties. Larger counties like El Paso may require additional sites.

"Until we have locations and partners and all of the equipment that we will need to do so we won't really be able to implement our testing strategy," Bookman says.

However, in order to have more testing facilities, you need more people to administer the tests and personal protective equipment which continues to be in short supply.

KRDO reached out to the Governor's Office for comment on when the President's three-phase plan will be implemented here. We received the following statement:

“The national plan from the CDC and the administration has a lot of overlap with the Colorado plan the governor rolled out yesterday. No one wants to get people back to work more than Governor Polis and our state has a lot of work to do to get ready. Coloradans need to continue to stay home, wear masks when in public, social distance and wash their hands. Coloradans are in this together and the Governor appreciates any effort and helpful partnership with the federal government and other states that help keep people safe and is focused on stopping the spread of COVID-19. The Governor was clear yesterday that this is his decision and he appreciates input from all informed perspectives including the federal government."