WATCH: Gov. Jared Polis says 3 factors in ‘getting back to normalcy’; school closures extended to April 30
DENVER (KRDO) -- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis gave an update on the status of COVID-19 in the state after more than a week of a statewide stay-at-home order.
WATCH BELOW:
Gov. Polis said a large focus of Wednesday's presser would be focused on expanding medical service capacity in the state.
He said there are three factors to "getting back to normalcy" in the state:
- 1st: When will the viral spread be under control rather than expanding exponentially? Polis says the state is working with scientists and researchers to find the best practices and tracking data in real-time. "The most effective way to reduce spread is to limit person-to-person interactions; that's what we're doing as a state and that's what you're doing," the governor said.
- 2nd: When will our medical service capacity be enough to care for everyone who needs it? "We need to use this critical time to increase medical capacity," he said.
- 3rd: We need to fix supply chain issues, specifically around PPE and tests. "It's hampering our ability to treat those who are ill. Hospitals have had to alter protocols due to lack of PPE, including extending the use of certain items," Polis added.
Gov. Polis also said Wednesday that school campuses across the state would remain closed through April 30. He praised districts for embracing e-learning and remote learning.
The Governor also announced the State's plan for adding for patient facilities. Officials believe starting in April, state hospitals will become overcrowded due to a surge of patients. Governor Polis says they are working on adding 12,000 hospital beds.
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment official Scott Bookman says those beds will go to not only hospitals but other facilities that would be willing to become temporary care facilities.
"This is where we are looking at larger facilities; convention centers, stadiums, even warehouses that we can convert to field hospitals," Bookman says.
Governor Polis also addressed the state's need for Personal Protective Equipment. Polis says officials are working on purchasing gloves, masks, and ventilators from private companies. But the issue with that is each product has to be inspected. "Many are well-intentioned, but don't pan out, many are scams and some gems that we are tracking down," Polis says.
