COLORADO SPRINGS — Gov. Jared Polis announced Wednesday afternoon that draft guidelines have been released for indoor visits at nursing facilities.\
Polis said the initial guidelines are anticipated to be finalized by the end of the week and these visitations can happen as "soon as next week."
"We know that those social interactions with our loved ones is an overdue piece," he said. He mentioned there are private facilities that have stricter guidelines and the state cannot control those actions.
There are six criteria facilities must meet in order to offer indoor visitation to loved ones 18 years or older. Visitors would be required to schedule an appointment and have a negative COVID-19 test to be allowed inside. Masks will also be required during the time people are visiting.
Click here to read the draft guidelines
Polis also spoke about the Energize Colorado Gap Fund, which will open its applications Monday. This fund was created to assist small businesses, especially those businesses owned by women, minority groups, veterans, and owners in rural areas.
He addressed the eight wildfires crews are working on throughout the state, especially the Pine Gulch Fire that is a couple thousand acres away from becoming the largest wildfire in Colorado history.
Polis gave an update last week where the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment unveiled a new COVID-19 data dashboard. The updated dashboard was created to help give Coloradans a better visualization of the COVID-19 data across the state.
State Epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy said the data Coloradans are still going to see data that was on their website previously, but it might be presented in a different way with the updated site.
Variances are being considered once again by the state health department now that Colorado's COVID-19 case numbers are back down.
He reiterated during the Aug. 21 conference that if cases spike again, then variances would be on the back burner again and that masks have been helping to lower case numbers compared to last month.
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