Polis on the response to the Boulder COVID outbreak

Large-scale testing began in Boulder on Thursday, producing some concerning numbers. In partnership with Boulder County Public Health and the University of Colorado at Boulder, the administration has established two testing sites: a walk-up site at the Pleasant Street Parking Lot on the Hill, and a drive-up site at the Stazio Ball Fields. Starting tomorrow, both sites will be open for testing of up to 2,000 people per day.

As of yesterday, approximately 475 people were tested at the walk-up testing site, resulting in a positivity rate of over 16%.

While this number is alarmingly high, it is not surprising. Over the past few weeks, the news and social media feeds have been filled with images of large parties in Boulder. Unfortunately, these high numbers are the direct consequences of those actions. Simply put, the parties are not worth it.

The state has received feedback that students are hesitant to get tested because they fear that their information will be shared with their employers or the school. The administration has been very clear that these rumors are not true. On the contrary, when a student gets tested, they are part of the solution and personally identifiable information will remain confidential.

Most students may be following COVID guidelines, and the vast majority of Colorado students are young leaders who care about their community and its health.

The Governor asks students to please join the state in these efforts by continuing to get tested, continuing to wear a mask, and avoiding large crowds. The state is relying on students to be responsible, and Colorado cannot recover without their help.

The administration is thankful that CU Boulder has done the right thing by scaling up their testing and tracing, and using every tool at their disposal to contain the spread of COVID-19. This kind of early action and transparency is the difference between success and failure, and sets an example in our state about the kind of actions we all must take when faced with public health challenges.