Debate in Colorado over responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

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Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage of how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting America's political and civic life. In addition to monitoring federal, state, and local responses to the coronavirus, we are also capturing the nationwide and local debates on whether to extend or lift coronavirus-related restrictions affecting the economy, schools, government operations, public health, religious services, and travel.

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This article covers the debate over continuing restrictions and closures in Colorado in response to the coronavirus pandemic. You will find the following:


Debate over stay-at-home orders in Colorado

See also: Debate over stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on the stay-at-home order in Colorado.

  • Jared Polis (Colorado Sun): Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) said some types of restrictions would need to stay in place until a vaccine is made or herd immunity has been attained.

    "I wish that relaxing restrictions was like turning a light switch on and off. Coronavirus is going to be part of our lives. We’re going to have to live with it. … The challenge is how do we create a sustainable way to live for the many months that the virus will be with us. The answer is not staying at home for many months. It’s not possible economically — people need to support themselves. It’s not possibly psychologically. Humans are social animals." - "Colorado governor: “We want to dispel any notion that we can go back to the way things were”," April 15, 2020.

  • A spokesperson for Governor Jared Polis (The Denver Channel): "Coloradans have a first amendment right to protest and to free speech, and the Governor hopes that they are using social distancing and staying safe. No one wants to reopen Colorado businesses and lift these restrictions more than the Governor, but in order to do that, Coloradans have to stay home as much as possible during this critical period, wear masks and wash their hands regularly to slow the spread of this deadly virus." - "'Liberate Colorado:' Large crowds gather at State Capitol to protest COVID-19 stay-at-home order," April 20, 2020.

  • Former Colorado State Rep. Marsha Looper (R-19) (The Denver Channel): "This State has been shut down long enough. There are families hurting, there are businesses hurting. We can't pay our bills, and the statistics don't support a shut down anymore, so we're here to ask the Governor to reopen the State of Colorado for us." - "'Liberate Colorado:' Large crowds gather at State Capitol to protest COVID-19 stay-at-home order," April 20, 2020.

  • Reopen Colorado (Facebook): "The best way to protect our state from the medical, social, and economic challenges of COVID is to to #ReopenColorado and #TrustThePeople to make the best decisions how to protect our own lives and businesses." - "Reopen Colorado," April 13, 2020.


Debate over the reopening plan in Colorado

See also: Debate over reopening plans during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders regarding reopening the state.

  • Weld Commissioner Mike Freeman (Denver Post): Weld County said it would allow all businesses to open on April 27, 2020, if social distancing guidelines are followed.

    "We just believe that it’s completely unfair to pick winners and losers. We’ve been picking winners and losers in this state for the last six weeks, or however long it’s been. We made a decision — not us, the governor made a decision of what is an essential business. I have no idea how you determine that pot shops are essential businesses, but those were included in this. And then [Governor Jared Polis] comes out with this new thing. He’s still picking winners and losers of who can open and who can’t, and what we’re saying is, we’re going to treat everybody equally and fairly in Weld County." - "Weld County will allow any business to reopen next week after Colorado’s stay-at-home order ends," April 24, 2020.

  • Grand Junction CO Sentinel Editorial Board (Grand Junction CO Sentinel): "Some elected officials feel it’s too personal a mandate or that it will lead to trouble by scofflaws. After shutting down the state, watching more than 1,600 Coloradans die from COVID-19 and struggling through disruptions that will echo for decades, requiring the cheap, simple use of masks to make this third-phase of mandates tenable is not a big deal. By refusing to impose a statewide restriction based on levels of infection only continues to make it a big deal." - "CO Gov. Polis, health officials ace baffling pandemic tests so far — fail the easy mask mandate," June 22, 2020.

  • Grand Junction Sentinel editorial board (Sentinel): "The massive amount of money [testing and contact tracing] could burn through, or more, would almost certainly be better spent in hardening virus protocols in nursing homes, schools and supporting essential businesses employees forced to work in less-than-safe conditions every day. It would be wise for Colorado to prepare for such a project, but it will be folly to enact it statewide right now." - "EDITORIAL: Tracking COVID-19 infections will be costly, cumbersome and unwise right now," May 28, 2020.

  • Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) (Colorado Governor Jared Polis): "I want to reiterate, the Safer-at-Home phase is not going back to life as normal. It’s not a major adjustment from where we have been. Safer-at-Home means most Coloradans should continue to limit social interactions to the greatest extent possible to just individuals in your household and wear facial masks when you are out. I’m proud of how Colorado has come together during this difficult period to stay home as much as possible, protecting ourselves and our neighbors. But we still have work to do - we are not through the woods yet." - "Gov. Polis Provides Update to Coloradans on State Response to COVID-19," April 22, 2020.


Debate over school closures in Colorado

See also: Debate over school closures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on school closures in Colorado.

  • Erin Anderson, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Denver (The Colorado Sun): "Next year, it will be difficult to hold students accountable for passing current versions of [Colorado's standardized testing], based on several months of interrupted curriculum. It seems like the perfect opportunity for Colorado and other states to use what they’ve learned in this experience to disrupt the current system and to redefine accountability to include the whole host of purposes public schools serve in their communities and society as a whole." - "Opinion: Could coronavirus change our obsession with school testing and accountability?," May 30, 2020.


Debate over economic impact in Colorado

See also: Debate over economic impact during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on economic impact in Colorado.


Debate over religious service restrictions in Colorado

See also: Debate over religious service restrictions during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on religious service restrictions in Colorado.


Debate over election policy in Colorado

See also: Debate over election policies and procedures during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on election policies in Colorado.

We have not yet identified any statements related to this topic or state. To suggest a statement, email us.


Debate over medical treatment for coronavirus in Colorado

See also: Debate over medical treatment for coronavirus during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

This section includes a sampling of statements made by public officials, influencers, and stakeholders on medical treatment for coronavirus in Colorado.

  • Jared Polis (Colorado Public Radio): Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) said that mass testing would not help move the state forward toward reopening and that targeted testing is key.

    "We need to be in a more nimble position to quarantine individuals and folks they've been in contact with rather than essentially what's happening now ... which is a quarantining of everybody with a stay-at-home order. ... There's probably 20,000 or 30,000 people with COVID-19 in our state and another 30,000 or 40,000 with COVID-19 symptoms that are negative and have something else. The last thing we want is [everyone] scrambling around hospitals and doctor's offices getting tested for no reason." - "Polis Says Targeted Coronavirus Testing, Not Mass Testing, Is The Key To Reopening Colorado," April 9, 2020.

  • Jon Caldara (Independence Institute): "[Colorado Governor Jared Polis is] allowing medical professionals licensed in other states to immediately become licensed in Colorado. This cutting through red tape means our state now has immediate access to a resource pool of professional medical staff that can now be put directly into the front line of defense against COVID-19. ... We believe getting government out of the way of private industry can speed up the response and ultimately the defeat of this virus. ... Unfortunately, there are those out there already calling for increased government mandates such as universal health care, paid family leave, increased taxes, and more bureaucracy that will cost us much more and slow down the ability of individuals and businesses to fight this growing pandemic." - "COVID-19 Requires Government Distancing," March 19, 2020.


Responses to the coronavirus in Colorado

See also: Government responses to and political effects of the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 (Colorado)

Click the links below for more on responses to the coronavirus pandemic in Colorado.

General resources

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.


See also

Footnotes

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Political responses to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020-2021
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Federal policy responses • State government responses • Local government responses • Diagnosed or quarantined incumbents, candidates, and officials • State legislative session changes • State legislative responses • State executive orders • Eviction and foreclosure policies • Travel restrictions • School responses (2021-2022) • School responses (2020-2021) • School responses (2019-2020) • State court closures • Stay-at-home order status • States that issued stay-at-home orders • States that did not issue stay-at-home orders • Changes to ballot measure campaigns and policies • Changes to vote-by-mail and absentee voting procedures • Initial key federal official responses • Arguments in support of and opposition to government responses • Lawsuits • Multistate agreements • Non-governmental plans to reopen • Unemployment filings • Analysis articles • Paycheck Protection Program • Mask requirements • School budget changes • State budgets • Federal definitions of essential and nonessential businesses • Federal aid to states • Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program • State emergency power authority • Changes to state emergency power authority • Municipal emergency power authority • Halloween guidelines • Vaccine distribution plans • State plans to end federal unemployment • Changes to emergency power laws • Active COVID-19 emergency orders • State vaccine requirement (vaccine passport) policies • Recalls related to the pandemic • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on school responses to the coronavirus • State employee vaccine requirements • Healthcare worker vaccine requirements
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