“Most Coloradans — I dare say every Coloradan — has numerous municipal parks or county open space within 10 miles of their home.” -Gov. Polis
Gov. Jared Polis has issued a new safer-at-home executive order (READ HERE) and it has a recreational travel limit that may affect how you enjoy the outdoors. Issued Sunday, the order includes a provision ordering Coloradans not to travel more than 10 miles from their homes to recreate. That includes activities like skiing, hiking, biking, fishing and boating. The new safer-at-home order is in effect through at least May 27th.
“You made the sacrifice of staying at home for 32 days. I think you can make the sacrifice of going to your second or third favorite park for another month. Many of our communities that rely on tourism have had high viral count loads because of that tourism and just need more time where they need to get on their feet. We don’t want you to go out to an area where you might get the virus because others are congregating there from across the state and other states. And we also don’t want people who unwittingly are bringing the virus back to communities that have made great progress at great cost.” -Gov. Polis
The Colorado Sun asked Polis how the state would enforce the 10-mile order, but he didn’t have an answer. Here is how enforcement is laid out in the document:
“This order will be enforced by all appropriate legal means. Local authorities are encouraged to determine the best course of action to encourage maximum compliance. Failure to comply with this order could result in penalties, including jail time and fines.”
Director of Colorado’s Office of Emergency Management Mike Willis had this to say about the new order:
“It’s really important to understand we really need everyone to do the right thing. Traveling beyond your community, potentially spreading this to other communities is a really counterproductive thing to do. This isn’t the time to grab your family and run up to the mountains and potentially spread it to other communities.”
We will be on the lookout for updates to this executive order. Here is Polis’ full press conference:
READ COMPLETE EXECUTIVE ORDER HERE