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'By getting tested, you are doing your part': Polis on Colorado's response to COVID-19 pandemic

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis addressed the recent increase in cases at CU Boulder and urged anyone who feels ill to get tested.

WESTMINSTER, Colo. — Gov. Jared Polis (D - Colorado) delivered an update on the state's response to the coronavirus pandemic Friday afternoon.

The governor and other state officials shared updates from the Rocky Mountain Room of Front Range Community College in Westminster.

"Three of the last 14 days we have seen a downward trend, so a slight upward trend in cases," Polis said at the beginning of the news conference, "This is mostly but not entirely driven by the campus outbreaks."

Colorado saw 605 new positive cases Friday, and 147 people are hospitalized, according to the governor.

Testing

Polis announced two new free testing sites in Boulder: a walk-up testing site at Pleasant Street parking lot on The Hill, and a drive-thru site at the Stazio ballfields.

The sites allow for 2,000 tests to be done per day, according to the governor.

During the news conference, the governor addressed the recent increase in cases at campuses like CU Boulder. He also urged college students to "act responsibly" and get tested if they are feeling ill.

"By getting tested, you are doing your part," Polis said, encouraging students to collaborate with public health and contact tracing. "You're a hero, you're saving lives. You're doing the right thing."

RELATED: CU to enforce 14-day quarantine for students who live in Boulder

Polis praised the work done by Adams 12 Schools for being able to safely resume classes.

He also announced that this week, the state has reached the million-mask mark for school staff who work with students.

Colorado Relief Fund 

Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera provided an update on the Colorado Relief Fund, a fund the state set up shortly after the pandemic began. 

The fund has distributed $19 million for nonprofit organizations in Colorado, Primavera said.

About $6 million from that fund has been distributed to nonprofits in Boulder, Broomfield and Adams counties.

Primavera then focused on the aerospace industry in the state. 

"This industry has stepped up in a big way during the pandemic," Primavera said, "Both in their philanthropic commitments and in the way they have retooled their supply chains and adapted existing technologies to help us fight the virus and limit its spread."

Community colleges

Director of Higher Education, Dr. Angie Paccione, provided an update on coronavirus cases among community college students. 

According to Paccione, community colleges in Colorado have seen only 5 positive cases of COVID-19 in the past week.

She did address student-athletes and asked them to exercise discipline when it came to avoiding large gatherings and practice social distancing.

"You already have discipline, and so we are asking you to have even more disciplined when it comes to congregating and having these large off-campus parties," Paccione said.

CU Boulder

The governor was asked about the situation at CU Boulder, specifically if he will take action if the university will not take action to shut down and contain the virus.

"It's really critical that they do and they work with the city of Boulder and the county of Boulder to do that," Polis said. "I know that the college students are up to it," he added.

Polis stressed how important it is for the university to handle cases in the dorms an in university housing. 

"It would not be constructive for them to be sent away. That would be very dangerous," he said. "If a group has a 16% positivity, that was the positivity rate out of the test, if they were dispersed across the state and country. That would set off many other outbreaks."

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