On Sunday, Governor Polis held a press conference and ordered all non-critical workplaces to reduce their in-person staff by 50%. This order runs from Tuesday, March 24 to Friday, April 10 in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Colorado.

This order does not apply to any business that can prove employees will remain six feet apart during the workday, according to Fox 31 Denver, nor for businesses that are critical during this period.

Along with the order, Polis warned that “If we do not do more, our health care system will be overwhelmed." He added that without taking stricter measures, “We could be forced into a wartime triage situation.”

“At the height of the virus in Colorado we might need 7,000 more ventilators than we have today,” Polis said.

According to Fox 31 Denver, these are the currently exempt businesses considered critical by the state:

  • Health care operations
  • Critical Infrastructure, including utilities, fuel supply and transmission, public water, telecommunications, transportation, hotels, organizations that provide for disadvantaged people, and food supply chain
  • Critical Manufacturing, including food, beverages, chemicals, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, sanitary products, agriculture
  • Critical Retail, including grocery stores, liquor stores, farms, gas stations, restaurants and bars for takeout, marijuana dispensaries but only for medical or curbside delivery, hardware stores
  • Critical Services, including trash and recycling, mail, shipping, laundromats, child care, building cleaning and maintenance, auto supply and repair, warehouses/distribution, funeral homes, crematoriums, cemeteries, animal shelters and rescues
  • News Media
  • Financial Institutions
  • Providers of Basic Necessities to Economically Disadvantaged Populations
  • Construction
  • Defense
  • Public Safety Services like law enforcement, fire prevention and response, EMTs, security, disinfection, cleaning, building code enforcement, snow removal, auto repair
  • Vendors that Provide Critical Services or Products including logistics, child care, tech support, or contractors with critical government services
  • “Critical Government Functions”
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