Governor Polis Update COVID-19 May 22, 2020 Key Testing Updates

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Topline Update

We currently have 23,191 cases, 1,310 total deaths (1,062 are deaths due to COVID), and 4,037 hospitalizations out of 139,937 completed tests. We are thinking of these families and communities during these trying times.

This case data is broken down by various categories, is updated daily and can be found here. 

Pepsi Center Testing Facility

Yesterday, Governor Polis joined Denver Mayor Hancock to announce the opening of a new COVID testing facility at the Pepsi Center.

This site will be running 7 days a week, doing 500 tests a day, which will get us closer to our statewide goal of 8,500 tests per day.

All of the testing is being done free of charge for all symptomatic individuals and asymptomatic individuals who are health care workers, senior care facility workers, or frontline workers who interact with the public. Coloradans are not required to have a doctor’s note or insurance to get tested.

If you are experiencing symptoms and would like to be tested you can go to the Pepsi Center or you can also find a community-based testing site in your area using this map on our COVID-19 homepage.

Colorado State University Testing Announcement

The Governor also announced a partnership between the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Colorado State University for eight consecutive weeks of testing at up to 30 of Colorado’s skilled nursing facilities.

We know that reducing the spread of illness is critical in high-density, group-living settings, like nursing homes and assisted living facilities that are particularly vulnerable. The tests will provide an early warning system for public health officials and managers at long-term care facilities to help prevent outbreaks, monitor the risk of exposure for residents, and help recovered workers return to work. 

Safer-at-Home and Memorial Day Weekend

Testing is only one piece of the puzzle when it comes to being successful in the Safer-at-Home era. We still need to stay home whenever we can. We still need older Coloradans and those with underlying health conditions to stay at home except when absolutely necessary. And we still need to maintain distancing andl wear masks or face coverings when we’re out to reduce the spread of the virus.

A new study found that wearing a mask can reduce the likelihood of transmission by 75%. So please, protect yourself and others by wearing a mask. If we do all of these things and meet our testing goals, I am confident that we will be successful in this new phase and we will be able to relax even more restrictions on our economy and society.

As we know, this Memorial Day will not be like others we’ve experienced. This Memorial Day will be in the middle of a global pandemic, and that means things will look a bit different.

It means that as much as it pains us, we’ll have to keep our physical distance from others, including loved ones, and especially older family members and friends. It means we’ll be wearing masks to protect ourselves and others. It means we won’t be going to backyard BBQs, pool parties, concerts, big social gathering, or other risky activities that could spread coronavirus.

Instead, let’s spend this Memorial Day weekend remembering the reason why we have a long weekend in the first place. Let’s take some quiet time to honor those brave men and women who have given their lives to protect ours. Let’s pay our respects to that ultimate sacrifice by continuing to take the necessary precautions needed to safeguard the lives of our fellow Americans. Let’s count our blessings as Americans, and reflect on those who protect those blessings. And along with thinking of our brave men and women in uniform, let’s spend some time reflecting on those we’ve lost in this crisis and the heroes on the frontlines who are keeping us safe right now, from the men and women of the Colorado National Guard, to our nurses and doctors and frontline employees, the everyday heroes that are going above and beyond the call of duty to respond to one of the most challenging times in our nation’s history.

What better way to honor their sacrifice than by doing our part as Coloradans to practice proper hygiene and distancing measures so we can keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.