Confirmed state cases near 17,000
Confirmed coronavirus cases in Colorado rose to 16,907 on Monday and 851 people now have died from COVID-19, the highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the virus.
Officials believe the number of infections is much higher than the number confirmed through lab testing both because of limited testing and due to asymptomatic carriers of the virus.
About 83,266 people — or just shy of 1.25% of the state’s population — have been tested for the virus to date, Gov. Jared Polis told reporters Monday. He added that the state is now providing a map online of community testing sites across Colorado, and is working to expand the total number of people tested.
The state is tracking 163 outbreaks at nursing homes, prisons and other group situations, such as meat processing plants.
Currently, about 689 people are hospitalized in Colorado with COVID-19, and 43 patients recovered enough to be discharged from hospitals or transferred to lower levels of care in the past 24 hours, according to the data.
Since Friday, some Colorado businesses have been allowed to reopen under limited capacity, and many employees are now allowed to return to their physical workplaces, though the governor continues to urge companies to allow as many workers as possible to stay at home.
Restaurants and bars, which since March have been allowed to offer only takeout and delivery, are still several weeks away from being able to reopen, Polis said at Monday’s news conference.
Polis also announced the membership of the Governor’s Advisory Committee for Cooperation and Implementation, which he said will advise him and state officials on policies related to social distancing as more of the economy continues to reopen in Colorado.
The committee includes: • Larimer County Commissioner
Steve Johnson
• San Miguel County Commissioner Hilary Cooper
• Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar
• Montrose Mayor Barbara Bynum
• Robert McDonald, Denver public health director
• Heath Harmon, Eagle County public health director
• Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader
• Broomfield police Chief Gary Creager
• Poudre Fire Chief Thomas DeMint
• Kyle Martinez of the Economic
Recovery and Stabilization Council
• Polis Chief of Staff Lisa Kaufmann
• Stan Hilkey, executive director of the state Department of Public Safety
• Jill Ryan, executive director of the state Department of Public Health and Environment
• Patty Salazar, executive director of the state Department of Regulatory Agencies