DENVER — Gov. Jared Polis urged Coloradans to increase social distancing measures as COVID-19 transmission rates continues to climb, reaching a 6.2% three-day average positivity rate on Tuesday. The state's goal is to remain below 5%.
The increase in community transmission has been an alarming trend for the last couple of weeks, the governor said. If the trend continues at its current trajectory, it could risk overwhelming hospital capacity.
"We can not go on as we have been. The status quo is not acceptable. We need to a better job of wearing a masks around others, staying apart from others, reducing our social interactions,” Polis said during Tuesday's weekly press briefing on the pandemic.
There are currently 417 hospital beds in use by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients out of about an 1,800 ICU bed capacity in the state.
Polis also announced the allocation of $1 million of CARES act funding to the Colorado Department of Agriculture to support farmers and ranchers as they adjust to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food supply chain.
