Polis praises Coloradans for keeping Thanksgiving from being a COVID superspreader, urges continued caution
The Associated Press
Gov. Jared Polis praised Coloradans for being more COVID-cautious than many other states over the Thanksgiving holiday, which many feared would produce a surge on top of the surge that has resulted in tighter restrictions and shutdowns around the country.
“It hasn’t gotten much worse, but it hasn’t gotten much better,” Polis said Friday during a virtual press conference, adding that despite a leveling off of cases the state still must improve when it comes to controlling the virus.
“It’s welcome news for things to stop getting worse,” he said. “It will be more welcome when things start improving.”
The state has seen a general decline in its seven-day average of new cases since Nov. 19, with a dip ahead of a small wave, followed by another dip. Thursday’s seven-day average of cases was at 3,902, the lowest in nearly a month.
Hospitalizations also seem to be plateauing, Polis said. On Friday 1,675 Coloradans were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID, down from a peak of nearly 2,000 a week and a half ago.
Polis, who along with his partner, first gentleman Marlon Reis, tested positive for the virus, urged Coloradans to continue to take precautions including social-distancing, wearing masks and handwashing, and to quarantine ahead of holiday gatherings or travel, if they feel they must engage in such activities. However, such activities are dangerous, he warned.
Enjoying the holiday season cautiously will “hasten the return to normalcy and the end of the pandemic, he said. “Let’s all make sure we’re here for many holidays to come.”
Across the country, contact tracers and emergency room doctors are hearing repeatedly from new coronavirus patients that they socialized over Thanksgiving with people outside their households, despite emphatic public-health warnings to stay home and keep their distance from others.
The dire outlook comes even as the U.S. stands on the brink of a major vaccination campaign against COVID-19, with the Food and Drug Administration granting approval Friday to use Pfizer’s formula against the scourge that has killed over 290,000 Americans and infected more than 15.6 million.
Deaths in the U.S. have climbed to a seven-day average of almost 2,260 per day, about equal to the peak seen in mid-April, when the New York City area was under siege. New cases are running at about 195,000 a day, based on a two-week rolling average, a 16% increase from the day before Thanksgiving, according to an Associated Press analysis.
“With the vaccine arriving in Colorado soon, we are one step closer toward ending the crisis brought on by this once-in-a-century pandemic, but we must redouble our efforts to wear masks and avoid socializing these next few weeks,” Polis said in a statement issued by his office. “Our top priority has always been to save the maximum number of lives and to end this crisis as soon as possible.
“I want to thank Coloradans for their efforts during this challenging time. To slow transmission of this deadly virus this year we are all innovating and reimagining what celebrating the holidays looks like by celebrating virtually, avoiding unnecessary travel and shopping locally including online to support local businesses.”
The next round of festivities could yield even more cases. Wall-to-wall holidays started this week. Hanukkah began Thursday evening and ends Dec. 18, followed by Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Eve.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.