Letter to Business Leaders

July 22, 2020

Dear Business Leaders,

We are in the midst of a difficult moment in our COVID-19 pandemic response. As restrictions have been relaxed, we have seen a steadily increasing number of cases. In recent weeks, the rise in cases has accelerated, and as a result, we’ve had to contemplate what actions can be taken to reverse this concerning trend.

Right now, we are working with our partners to support them in implementing local strategies to reduce transmission. In addition, the Governor announced a state wide mask order, and a 10pm curfew of alcohol sales. We’ve also been working with our academic research institutions in Colorado to better understand what may be driving this trend, so we can take as targeted as possible action to address it.

A recent analysis from the Colorado School of Public Health suggests a correlation between COVID-19 outbreaks in office environments and the overall lower levels of social distancing. This may be for a variety of reasons, but we do know that indoor environments, especially ones where you can’t open windows or that have an older air circulation systems, may pose greater risks for transmission.  The recently issued statewide mask order aims at increasing mitigation in these settings. The order states “all individuals over ten (10) years old must wear face coverings over their nose and mouth when entering or moving within any Public Indoor Space.” We’ve released an updated FAQ for the order, clarifying when masks should be worn in the office.

We would like to ask for your help to support office environments to continue to achieve higher and higher levels of social distancing and prevention, as appropriate for an individual organization. Specifically, remote work is one of our best social distancing strategies, with minimal economic impact.

As such, we strongly recommend that employers continue to maximize the use of telecommuting whenever possible. This helps increase our social distancing levels, and also can be an important part of minimizing risk to workers who must perform their job duties in person.

We’re calling upon business and community leaders to help amplify this message and data to other businesses. If you represent a collective organization, please take a moment to circulate this message about your membership.

Sincerely,

Jaded Polis

Governor