Coloradans Itching To Get Back To Normal Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
DENVER (CBS4) - Many Coloradans are wondering when life will finally get back to normal. One of them is Mike Ross, Co-owner of Meet.Play.Chill., a social organization that puts together sports leagues and other activities. He says the coronavirus pandemic isn't just bad for business, it's bad for the soul.
"It's crazy just being stuck inside. This is the time when we get to meet everybody and hang out, but it just is what it is," he told CBS4's Dominic Garcia.
In March his organization was forced to put things on hold, and it's not clear when they'll be able to start back up again. Monday, Gov. Jared Polis said it's going to be some time before the state returns to normal.
"I wish that relaxing of restrictions was like turning a light switch on and off, and we could all just go back to how things were. But it's going to look more like a light dimmer, it's going to be more gradual over time," said Polis.
As of Wednesday afternoon, there have been 357 deaths from coronavirus in Colorado with 8,280 cases in 56 counties. Out of those, 1,636 are hospitalized and 40,533 people tested. Polis said the public health threat of this virus right now is severe.
Polis also talked about how good Coloradans are at staying home. He reiterated the need for people to continue to stay home except when absolutely necessary, "This is the most important tool we have."
RELATED: 'In This For The Long Haul': Gov. Jared Polis Talks About Timeline For Colorado During Coronavirus
"We want to dispel any notion that we can go back to the way things were in January or February," said Polis.
He said we will go from the urgent phase, which we are in now, to the stabilization phase that includes social distancing measures and then finally recovery when large group gatherings will once again be commonplace in Colorado.
For Mike Ross, even when the restrictions begin to soften, he's not sure how quickly they'll be able to get things up and running.
"We just kind of have to wait and see. When this kind of all lifts, and if so, are we still going to have to wear masks? Are we still going to have to keep social distancing?" he told CBS4's Dominic Garcia.
In the meantime, Mike says we can all still be social, even if it's from a distance.
"You can still wave, you can still smile, you can still be friendly to each other.
RELATED: Latest Updates On The Coronavirus Outbreak In Colorado
About The Colorado Stay-At-Home Order
Colorado's stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus outbreak went into effect on the morning of March 26 and it is currently set to expire on April 26.