Guest Columnist - How to keep yourself safe

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A message from the governor:

Jared Polis

Governor of Colorado

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These are difficult times for our state, our country, and our world.

I know Coloradans across our state are upset, frustrated, and anxious about coronavirus, and they want answers about how to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, and when this will all end.

The short answer is that the better job we do at staying home, the sooner we can defeat this virus, go back to work, and get back to normal life.

This is an extremely contagious virus that is spread through person-to-person interactions.

The fewer social interactions that we have with one another, the fewer opportunities there are for people to spread the virus to others.

We acted quickly by imposing a “stay-at-home” order to stop the rate of spreading the virus, but also to reduce the number of infections overall, but to prevent a surge of simultaneous infections that could overwhelm our health care system.

If too many people get sick at once, we won’t have enough hospital beds, ventilators,
doctors, nurses, or personal protective equipment to handle all of the critically ill patients.

My administration is doing everything we can to recruit more health care workers, obtain more equipment, and build more hospital beds.

We’re working with the federal government, local governments, nonprofits, the private sector — anyone and everyone who can help us get through this time of need.

We’re also taking action to help families weather the economic storm.

At the state level, we are extending payments of income tax, property tax, and sales tax for individuals and businesses.

And the federal government has passed relief measures including stimulus checks for families, and expanded unemployment benefits for those impacted by COVID-19. Please consult ColoradoUI.Gov for assistance.

The federal government has also approved funding to help small businesses; please visit ChooseColorado.com for help securing this funding.

But in order to get past this public health emergency and economic emergency, we need everyone to do their part. That means staying inside whenever possible, and if you have to go out, make sure you wear a mask or a cloth facial covering, wash your hands frequently, avoid touching surfaces, avoid touching your face, and keep a six-foot distance between you and others.

Everyone is feeling the impact of this virus, but different communities have different needs to get through this.

Don’t let your immigration status stop you from getting a coronavirus test or seeking medical attention if you need it.

The state is limited in what support we can provide to the undocumented community. Thankfully, the Colorado Relief Fund — a private effort — is prioritizing services for immigrant communities and the refugee population.

Finally, I was proud to ask the federal government to expand DACA protections for another year. Like everyone — DREAMers should be focused on staying home and stopping the spread of this virus; they should not have to risk their safety and the safety of others to maintain their status.

We’re all in this together. These times are tough, but they are temporary. If we do right by each other and stay home whenever necessary, we will get past this and get back to living our lives.

Thank you for doing your part.