COVID-19 pandemic in Colorado

Many of the early COVID-19 cases in Colorado occurred in mountain resort towns such as Crested Butte, Aspen, and Vail, apparently brought in, and sometimes taken home, by international ski tourists.

[7] Ten months later, Colorado's per capita COVID-19 death rate is less than half that of South Dakota, whose governor, Kristi Noem, most notably refused to issue a mask mandate despite a severe surge in cases in autumn 2020.

[10] The quarantine order proved effective, and by mid October the two week case rate among all age groups in Boulder County had dropped to 250 or lower.

[28] The Nederland Town Board of Trustees cancelled the annual Frozen Dead Guy Days, following a Boulder County Public Health recommendation.

[29] On March 12, a Post Malone concert at Denver's Pepsi Center proceeded as scheduled, drawing a sellout-crowd of 20,000, likely the largest enclosed gathering in the U.S. before widespread lockdowns.

[42][43] Governor Jared Polis issued an executive order to close downhill ski areas for a week, doing so "with a profound sense of pain and grim responsibility."

[54] Governor Jared Polis extended the closure of bars, restaurants, theaters, gymnasiums and casinos until April 30 and suspended all nonessential medical procedures.

[56] On March 23, Aytu BioScience, a pharmaceutical company in Colorado, announced that it developed a blood test that will deliver results in two to ten minutes at the point of care for antibodies for the COVID-19 virus.

[62] On March 27 Governor Jared Polis said that he is working to add 5,000 ICU beds to Colorado's capacity by the end of the summer and is in conversations to bring more ventilators to the state to treat sick COVID-19 patients.

[67] Andy Larson of the Salt Lake Tribune did some math based on factual reporting, and put Gunnison County, Colorado third in the country for cases per capita.

[69] On March 31, Gunnison County announced they will begin working with a company called Biobot Analytics, to test fecal samples from the sewer system, to track coronavirus.

[73] Mike Wills, director of the state's Office of Emergency Management, said that Budweiser Events Center could serve as a temporary hospital as Colorado prepares for the coronavirus surge.

[74] At the end of March, the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs eased some of its social distancing measures for its on-campus cadets, after two seniors committed suicide there in the prior week.

[77] About the new guideline, Dr. Matthew Wynia, director of the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus said, "This is statewide guidance on how to do triage in the most ethically defensible way,"[78] Projections that Colorado will hit its peak of COVID-19 cases on April 17, at which time there could be a shortage of nearly 2,000 hospital beds and nearly 500 intensive care unit beds even with the present preventive measures being taken, there are new efforts that could close that gap.

[83] Due to the high skier/tourist population, Colorado mountain communities became hotspots for the new coronavirus early on in the pandemic, resulting in the closure of ski resorts and requests for tourists to return home.

"[85] On April 7, tourists and second homeowners could face 18 months in jail or a fine of up to five thousand dollars if they visit Gunnison County in Colorado during the pandemic.

The letter said, "While the order contains other laudable measures aimed at protecting public health, its patent discrimination against non-resident homeowners – including Texans who own homes in Gunnison County – runs afoul of the United States Constitution.

[125] On June 30, 2020, two employees at a McDonald's location on North Main Street (U.S. 50) (U.S. 287) in Lamar, Colorado tested positive for COVID-19 which resulting in a temporary shutdown for deep cleaning to take place.

Under Williams' leadership, JBS had to close plants in Colorado, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, due to the virus, while facilities in Texas and Utah also had problems.

[137] The next day, another man, also a member of the Colorado National Guard stationed at an elderly care facility in Simla in Elbert County, tested positive for the new strain.

[143] During a surge in infections driven largely by the Omicron variant, Colorado hospitals were overwhelmed, at times to the point when they could not provide what under normal conditions would be consider the minimum of adequate medical care.

[145] On March 22, Governor Jared Polis ordered non-essential businesses to reduce the number of people physically present in the workplace by at least 50 percent via remote work.

[151] The COVID-19 vaccine has been referred to as "the most valuable asset on earth"; Interpol called it "liquid gold" and warned of an "onslaught of all types of criminal activity".

Major League Baseball cancelled the remainder of spring training on that date, and on March 16, they announced that the season will be postponed indefinitely, after the recommendations from the CDC to restrict events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks, affecting the Colorado Rockies.

[160] Highland United Methodist Church in Denver was opened to allow for an assembly line manned by volunteers to produce protective masks in early April.

"[162][163] The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and Fuel Church organized in April to help deal with the increase in the need for meal donations and food assistance in Colorado Springs.

The Archdiocese of Denver, in which the parish is located and Archbishop Samuel Aquila governs, and the Fraternity both launched a review of the priest and his statements, which some interpreted as violating Catholic teachings on ecclesiastical and civil authority.

Due to Colorado's designation of places of worship as "essential," parishes in the state remained open through the renewal of restrictions and stay-at-home orders in the final quarter of 2020.

[175] Beginning Sunday, March 15, Episcopalian parishes began using live-streaming services to allow congregants to watch from home upon the recommendation of Reverend Canon Carl M. Andrews, the diocese's Disaster Response Director.

[178] Temple Emanuel in Pueblo had already cancelled its Passover Seder events in April when a suspected arson attack on March 11 destroyed much of the interior of the building.