On Wednesday, March 25, Governor Polis submitted an urgent request to the federal government to help Colorado deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Governor Polis announced that President Trump and the federal government had approved the Governor’s request in declaring a Major Disaster for the State of Colorado.
“Colorado is now eligible to receive additional federal resources to help address the global epidemic impacting our state, the nation, and the world. This declaration ensures that Colorado can be on a level playing field with other states that already have this status like New York and Washington when it comes to federal disaster funding and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance,” said Governor Polis. “Now more than ever, it’s important that Coloradans stay home whenever possible. I thank the members of Colorado’s federal delegation who advocated for this funding to recognize the seriousness of this public health crisis unfolding hour by hour in our state. We are forging new and innovating partnerships daily with the federal government and the private sector to minimize the health threat and the economic threat of the virus.”
Colorado is one of the states with the highest presence of COVID-19 on a per-capita basis, with a unique situation unfolding in our mountain communities. Colorado continues facing a shortage of resources in addressing this pandemic.
Read Governor’s Polis request which was supported by the majority of Colorado’s federal delegation here. The Governor has engaged with Colorado’s congressional delegation daily on multiple calls and efforts to prioritize areas of federal relief. Members of Colorado’s federal delegation sent a letter to the President on Thursday urging him to approve Governor Polis’ request. Read their letter here.
California, Washington and New York have received these declarations.