On March 26, 2020, Governor Polis implemented a “Stay-at-Home” Executive Order which applied to all Colorado residents and “non-essential businesses.” On Monday of this week, the Governor announced he will not extend the Executive Order beyond April 27th – nearly one month after he issued the Order. His announcement included potential steps toward the re-opening of the State and all Colorado businesses.
The Governor outlined a three-phase process of social distancing including: 1) Staying at Home, 2) Safer at Home, and 3) Protect our Neighbors and that the State will move into the second phase in which residents will no longer be ordered to stay home, but are encouraged to do so. The exceptions will be senior and vulnerable populations, and K-12 schools and higher education institutions which will not be holding in-person classes.
The Governor also shared a few details regarding the re-opening of “non-essential businesses” that were required to close when the Governor issued the “Stay-at-Home Order. Retailers will be able to offer curbside pickup of products on April 27th, and then expand to in-store customers beginning May 1st. Other businesses including hair salons, dental offices, personal service providers, dental offices and others can reopen on April 27th. Other companies will be able to reopen their offices on May 4th, but the Governor is encouraging telecommuting “as much as possible.” Restaurants and bars will remain closed until likely mid-May and local governments can continue to enforce stricter restrictions than the State.
All of these businesses will be faced with some restrictions including social distancing, temperature checks, and number of customer limitations. The details of those restrictions will be shared by the Governor within the next few days. In the meantime, the Colorado Chamber will providing feedback from its members to the Governor on ways to help local businesses re-open safely and effectively based on a survey that the Colorado Chamber is conducting this week.