At 9:30 a.m. March 10, Governor Jared Polis declared a legal “State of Emergency” for Colorado in response to the growing threat of spread of the COVID-19. The state of emergency is a precautionary measure that provides:
- Access to resources
- Legal flexibility
- Protection of our most vulnerable communities
- A better position from which to contain the outbreak
According to the Colorado Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Management site, the state is at Level 2 in support of COVID-19 in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Colorado Map of COVID-19 (Image Courtesy of John Hopkins University)
The status of Level 2 includes command and general staff, emergency support functions (ESFs), and/or recovery support functions (RSFs) in support of state agencies.
Nineteen local emergency operations centers have been activated, including four in neighboring counties: Park, Fremont, Custer and Summit counties. Here in Chaffee County, the response center is the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center.
In conjunction with the declaration, the state is increasing COVID-19 test capacity, setting up the state’s first drive-through state test facility at Lowry. It will open at 11 a.m. March 11, and be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today.
The COVID-19 testing at the facility is free, and proof of insurance is not required. It can be accessed by those who arrive with a doctor’s order to be tested and proper identification.
Link to John Hopkins University and Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html
Cover Photo: MARCH 5: Gov. Jared Polis speaks during a press conference to address the first confirmed case of Coronavirus in Colorado at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Thursday, March 5, 2020. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
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