Colorado governor announces state of emergency, new measures to fight coronavirus

Gov. Jared Polis speaks during a press conference in the Governor’s office at the Colorado Capitol on Tuesday morning, March 10, 2020.
Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

DENVER — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a state of emergency Tuesday that he says will allow him to take measures to slow the spread of the new coronavirus and limit economic disruptions.

Polis told a news conference at the Capitol that he has directed the state to pursue financial measures to help health, food, nursing home and state employees to stay home if they get sick — rather than expose others to the virus because they’re worried about losing their jobs.

Polis said he’s seeking more testing capacity, and he announced that the private diagnostics firm LabCorp now is performing coronavirus tests that will complement state and federal testing.

The actions come as the number of positive cases in Colorado reached at least 15.

This is a developing story that will be updated

via:: The Aspen Times