AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, 41
STATES HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE IN
CASES IN RECENT WEEKS.
MEANING THEM IS COLORADO WHERE
JARED POLIS ISSUED A STATEWIDE
MANDATE AND MIKE DEWINE PUT 60%
OF HIS STATES RESIDENTS UNDER A
MASK ORDER.
BOTH JARED POLIS AND MIKE DEWINE
JOIN ME NOW.
GOVERNOR POLIS, ID LIKE TO
START WITH YOU.
CASES HAVE BEEN ON THE RISE IN
COLORADO SINCE THE MIDDLE OF
JUNE.
WHY THIS WEEK?
WHY NOT SOONER?
WHAT TOOK SO LONG?
>> YOU KNOW, BEFORE WEIGH HAD
THE MASK REQUIREMENT WE HAD 60%
OF OUR STATE UNDER MUNICIPAL OR
COUNTY MASK REQUIREMENTS, BUT
WHAT WE REALIZED WHAT WE NEEDED
AT THIS STATE WAS CLARITY OF
MESSAGE.
YOURE IN COLORADO.
YOURE VISITING COLORADO WERE A
MASK-WEARING STATE.
THIS KIND OF STATEMENT REALLY
PROVIDES THAT IN TERMS OF
REQUIRING MASKS STATEWIDE.
THE OTHER THING WE FOUND, CHUCK,
THIS IS INTERESTING IN OUR
STATE, IN THE AREAS THAT HAD
MASK REQUIREMENTS HAD 15% TO 20%
MORE MASK WEARING THAN THE AREAS
OF OUR STATE THAT HADNT TAKEN
THAT SIMPLE STEP, AND WE FOUND
THAT THOSE AREAS WITH MASK
WEARING HAD LESS SPREAD OF THE
VIRUS IN OUR STATE.
SO BASED ON THOSE TWO DATA
POINTS IT WAS A CLEAR COURSE OF
ACTION TO TAKE IT STATEWIDE.
>> YOU HAD BEEN A LITTLE
HESITANT BOTH, I REMEMBER, IN
THE STAY AT HOME ORDER AND WITH
THE MASK BOTH TIMES WONDERING
HOW ENFORCEABLE THESE THINGS
ARE, AND YOU CAME AROUND TO BOTH
OF THEM, BUT LET ME ASK YOU
THIS, HOW ENFORCEABLE IS YOUR
MANDATE?
>> ANY GOVERNOR, DEMOCRAT OR
REPUBLICAN SHOULD DO ANYTHING
PEOPLE THAT WANT A GOVERNOR THAT
WILL HESITATE AND DOUBLE-CHECK
THINGS BEFORE THEY DO ANY OF
THOSE OVERARCHING ORDERS THAT NO
GOVERNOR EVER WANTS TO DO.
THERES A NUMBER OF WAYS LOCAL
MUNICIPALITIES HAVE ENFORCED IT.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ALLOWS
OUR BUSINESSES AND RETAILERS AND
GROCERS TO DO IS THAT IF
SOMEBODY IS TRYING TO TRESPASS
WITHOUT A MASK AND THEY ASKED
HIM TO LEAVE NICELY AND THEY
DONT, THEY CAN CALL UPON LOCAL
LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR TRESPASSING
TO REMOVE THEM FROM THE STORE SO
THEYRE NOT THREATENING AND
ENDANGERING THE EMPLOYEES AND
OTHER CUSTOMERS.
>> WHAT EXPLANATION DO YOU HAVE
FOR THE NEW RISE IN CASES IN
YOUR STATE?
WHAT DO YOUR HEALTH OFFICIALS
TELL YOU?
>> FIRST OF ALL, IM PROUD THAT
COLORADO IS DOING BETTER THAN
SOME OF THE HOT SPOT STATES IN
THE SUNBELT.
WE NEED TO DO BETTER THAN WERE
DOING BECAUSE CASES ARE GOING
UP.
THATS CLEAR.
AMERICA AS A WHOLE ARE NOT DOING
WELL.
PEOPLE ARE LAPSING IN THEIR
CAUTION AND LAPSING IN THE NEED
FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING.
AS YOU KNOW, CHUCK, MASKS ARE
NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL
DISTANCING.
WE CANT LIVE THE WAY WE DID IN
JANUARY, THAT WONT WORK.
WE NEED TO NOT HAVE LARGE GET
TOGETHER, PARTY, GROUPS AND MAKE
THE DELIBERATE EFFORT TO STAY
SIX FEET AWAY FROM OTHERS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WISHED AND WE
ALL WISHED THAT THIS HAD BEEN
PAST US.
WE CAN GO BACK TO NORMAL AND I
THINK PEOPLE ARE WAKING UP TO
THE FACT THAT THEY NEED TO BE
CAREFUL IN EVERYDAY LIVES AND
TAKE SOCIAL DISTANCINGS VERY
SERIOUSLY TO GET THROUGH THIS.
>> WHATS THE EXPLANATION FOR
WHY COLORADO.
WHY DOES YOUR STATE.
YOU ONLY -- ACCORDING TO THE
COVID TRACKING PROJECT, YOU ONLY
BEAT TEN OTHER STATES WHEN IT
COMES TO TESTING.
>> THERES A LOT OF OTHER STATES
THAT ARE TESTING MORE PER CAPITA
THAN YOU ARE.
WHAT IS THAT ABOUT?
>> I WOULD SAY GENERALLY THE
STATES THAT HAVE THE HIGHEST
CASE LOAD ARE GOING TO HAVE THE
HIGHEST TESTING AND THE HIGHEST
POSITIVES, PROBABLY ALSO THE
HIGHEST NEGATIVES.
WE HAVE, FOR SEVERAL WEEKS,
MAJOR FREE TESTING SITE THAT
DENVER RUNS AT THE PEPSI CENTER,
HOME OF THE BRONCOS.
WE ALSO HAVE ABOUT 48 FREE
COMMUNITY TESTING SITES ACROSS
THE STATE WHERE ANYBODY, NO
QUESTIONS ASKED, NO INSURANCE
QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING ELSE CAN
GET TESTED.
>> YEAH, BUT ARE YOU GETTING
THESE TESTS BACK FAST ENOUGH?
IT SEEMS AS IF THE INABILITY TO
YOUVE GOT TO SATURATE TESTING
AND GET THEM FAST MOVE AND DO
THE CONTACT TRACING.
DO YOU HAVE THAT UP AND RUNNING
IN COLORADO?
>> SO THE NATIONAL TESTING SCENE
IS A COMPLETE DISGRACE.
SO EVERY TEST WE SEND OUT TO
PRIVATE LAB PARTNERS NATIONALLY,
SERVE
SERVE DAYS, EIGHT DAYS, USELESS
FROM AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL.
WE ARE RUNNING 24 HOURS A DAY.
SO WHILE SOME ARE STILL SENT OUT
OF STATE AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT
TAKES A LONG TIME AND WE CANT
COUNT ON IT AND OUR COUNTRY
NEEDS TO GET TESTING RIGHT, WE
ARE TRYING TO BUILD THAT TESTING
IN COLORADO TO PROCESS THE ONE
TO TWO-DAY TURNAROUND AND WE ARE
ABLE TO DO 2,000 OR 3,000 A DAY
THAT DAY AND EVEN MORE WITH THE
LAB PARTNERS IN STATE LIKE UC
HEALTH.
>> ITS JULY 19th THOUGH.
YOURE STILL TRYING TO GET
TESTING UP AND RUNNING AND
GETTING IT QUICKER.
YOU JUST MENTIONED THE FEDERAL
PROBLEMS THAT YOU HAD AND THE
PRIVATE LAB ISSUES.
DO YOU THINK THIS -- YOU THINK
YOU CAN REALISTICALLY REOPEN
SCHOOLS WITHOUT GETTING THIS
TESTING SITUATION UNDER CONTROL?
>> WELL, WHETHER SCHOOLS REOPEN
IN A PARTICULAR AREA HAS MORE TO
DO WITH WHETHER THERE IS A HOT
SPOT OR OUTBREAK IN THAT AREA
AND ALSO WITH THE PRECAUTIONS
THAT THOSE SCHOOLS ARE TAKING.
IN COLORADO WE HAVE DELAYS, AND
OTHERS ARE BEGINNING WITH A
HYBRID MODEL AND MANY DISTRICTS
ARE GOING BACK AS PLANNED, AS
NORMAL TAKING PRECAUTIONS THAT
HEALTH EXPERTS RECOMMEND AND
KEEPING COHORTS SEPARATED AND
DONT INTERVENE WITH CLASSES.
AND EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL
GET FOR TEACHERS AND OTHER
FACULTY THAT FACE STUDENTS AND
SCHOOL CLERKS THEY WILL BE
GETTING MEDICAL QUALITY MASKS
FROM THE STATE ALONG WITH ANY