Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock confirmed that the “explicit” stay at home directions would come into effect from 5 p.m. on Tuesday and will continue until April 10 at the earliest.
People will still be allowed to go outside in order to engage in essential activities necessary to promote health and well-being, such as going to the grocery store, getting medicines from the pharmacies or to exercise.
“This is no longer a recommendation, this is an order,” Hancock said during a press conference.
Hancock also ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses and asked others to implement work from home policies and delivery of goods to “the greatest extent possible.”
Among the essential businesses that are exempt from closure are banks, gas stations, construction operations and businesses that supply products needed for people to work and learn from home.
In an update after Hancock made the “stay at home” announcement, Denver confirmed that liquor and marijuana stores with “extreme physical distancing in place” will also be exempt from closure.
The order confirms that liquor and marijuana stores must also strictly limit the number of people on the premises at the same time in order to remain open during the quarantine. Marijuana dispensaries will also stay open for medical purposes or curbside delivery.
Local news noted the update arrived after huge lines formed outside the city’s liquor and marijuana stores as people rushed to buy alcohol en masse over fears they will soon be closed for weeks.
“The panic you know? Just trying to stock up,” Wesley Donlan, one of those who was in a long line to a liquor store in Argonaut, told CBS Denver. “Oh it’s a madhouse in there, just people going crazy grabbing whatever they can. I just got a bunch of beer and some rum.”
“This stay at home order responds to the public health advice we have received as well as ongoing conversations with the Governor and metro mayors,” Hancock said in a statement.
“People and businesses need to continue to take physical distancing seriously to make an impact on the spread of this virus. Frankly, voluntary ‘distancing’ is simply not enough.”
In a statement, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said he approves of the stricter stay at home and social distancing procedures enforced in the city with the highest population in the state.
“Last week, San Miguel issued a stay at home order for non-critical functions and additional isolation measures were also taken in Gunnison, Eagle, and Summit counties. Today the city and county of Denver issued a similar order,” Polis said.
“I’m strongly in support of these local efforts, and it’s extremely important that just as our state is acting boldly and urgently, that our county health departments are also taking strong actions guided by science, data, and the real-life situation on the ground including taking into account local factors like population density and concentration of Coronavirus cases, to best contain the spread of the virus.
“Thank you to Mayor Michael B. Hancock and other local leaders making strong moves to reduce the spread of the virus in communities across our state,” Polis said.
There are more than 46,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., with 593 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is currently not listing data for recoveries.
The graphic below, provided by Statista, shows the number of confirmed COVID-19 coronavirus disease cases around the world as of March 23.
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