Colorado joins West Coast states in coronavirus response pact
Colorado aligned itself Monday with other Democratic-run states in the West, joining a regional pact as it begins to reopen sectors of the state’s economy.
Gov. Jared Polis announced Colorado has joined California, Oregon, Washington and Nevada in the Western States Pact. The pact is a working group of governors with similar ideas for modifying stay-at-home orders and battling the spread of coronavirus. The governors of all five states are Democrats.
“Coloradans are working together to slow the spread of COVID-19 and have important information to share with, and to gain from, other states. I’m thrilled Colorado is joining the Western States Pact,” Polis said in a statement.
As states begin to make crucial decisions about reopening their economies, some have banded together with like-minded and neighboring states. Due to interstate travel, regional cooperation makes sense, governors across the U.S. believe.
In the Midwest, for example, seven states created a pact. There is a similar agreement in the Northeast, which has been a hot spot for coronavirus.
The Western States Pact operates under three vague principles: that health concerns come first; that health outcomes and science, not politics, guide decisions; and that the states are more effective when working together.
“There’s no silver bullet that will solve this pandemic until there is a cure, so we must have a multifaceted and bold approach in order to slow the spread of the virus, to keep our people safe and help our economy rebound,” Polis said.
Colorado’s entrance into the pact came during its switch from a “stay at home” order to what Polis calls a “safer at home” order, allowing segments of the economy to restart. Some shops were able to open their doors for curbside pickup Monday, elective surgeries resumed and real estate agents can once again show homes.