CNN "The Situation Room" - Interview with Jared Polis

Interview

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BLITZER: Let's get some more reaction to an alarming new forecast of U.S. coronavirus deaths surging to 134,000 by early August as more states reopen. We're joined now by the Governor of Colorado, Jared Polis.

Governor, thanks so much for joining us.

So, this model often cited by the White House has sharply raised its projected coronavirus deaths to -- I just said, 140,000 American by August 4th. That means some 68,000 are now confirmed. Another 66,000 people they're projecting will die between now and August 4th.

Are you comfortable with your plan to start reopening Colorado given this vastly revised projection?

GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): Yes, that's not a model that we've used in our planning. We have a Colorado-specific model that the good folks at the University of Colorado School of Health had created.

But, certainly, I look at all models and I think that the general point of the 20,000-foot level is there could very well be as many losses ahead of us as are behind us. That's absolutely true.

This virus has not gone away. It was never a goal of any of the stay- at-homes, including Coloradans, to eradicate the virus. There's been a few nations like Taiwan, New Zealand, they're islands. They've largely eradicated it.

In the United States, over 1 million people have it, probably 2 million, 3 million, 4 million people have. A million that we know it.

So, the goal is really to make sure we don't overwhelm our hospitals and everybody who contracts has a fighting chance of getting better.

BLITZER: As you know, obviously, offices in your state were permitted to reopen today at, what, 50 percent staffing capacity. Retail businesses, salons are also allowed to open with some restrictions.

How did you determine this timeline for reopening what are considered to be nonessential businesses?

POLIS: You know, one thing the model showed us is that it doesn't matter so much what day the state home period ends, whether it was last month, this week, in two weeks. What matters is what takes in place -- what's the kind of social distancing that you can institutionalized for a period of months, a period of months. And so, it's all about what the precautions we're taking.

So, spacing at the workplace, half the office stuff going in. If they need the second half, different hours, staggered shifts, six feet apart, people in retail wearing masks. You know, it's how we can get through this over a matter of months, and people can support themselves and have the psychological and social fulfillment that humans need to live.

BLITZER: I know you're allowing individual mayors in Colorado to set their own restrictions, and that's understandable. Do you worry, though, that this could lead residents to travel, let's say, between economies to get services they can't access near their homes? POLIS: Luckily, we're mostly in tandem. First of all, Colorado is in tandem with most of our neighboring states, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas. But even within their own state, there's only about a one-week difference between some of the areas that have less of the presence of the virus were able to open a little sooner.

In Grand Junction, they opened their first restaurants in western Colorado. Other areas, the Denver metro area, hit a little bit harder, they're not even opening their stores for another four to five days just to be safe that we're in a plateau, that we can sustain in a safe way overtime.

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BLITZER: As the weather gets warmer, though, what's your message to residents who are growing obviously and understandably tired of all these safer-at-home restrictions?

POLIS: None of us are counting on this hot weather as a deus ex machina saving grace, Wolf. I mean, if it helps, great. What we're counting is sustained social distancing, wearing masks when public, and all the extraordinary steps we're taking to protect the nursing homes, of most vulnerable, including increasingly screening asymptomatic employees to prevent additional outbreaks.

BLITZER: What's the status of the schools in Colorado right now, kindergarten through high school?

POLIS: They are not opening for this school year. We end the year early in the next two or three weeks. Most of the districts are finishing up.

Many districts are easing their sites, distributing meals, doing one- on-one. Some doing small groups 10 and under for shop and vocational and we want our districts to use those sites. But it's not yet time for those regular free-for-all that a classroom entails.

The school districts are getting ready to prepare for the fall, which is to implement a full schedule with social distancing parameters that help keep people safe.

BLITZER: Are you thinking of starting the fall semester, let's say, not in August or September, but maybe in July, as Governor Newsom of California is proposing?

POLIS: We start pretty early, anyway. Our start is mid August, late August. They should be good to go.

What a lot of schools are wondering about is what about their summer programs? Some have cancelled them already, but what we're advising them is wait, let's see. I think some of them, you can run with social distancing in small groups, you know, starting in June and July.

So, we're waiting on that guidance. It's not out yet, but we know that kids need summer programming, and we want to make sure they're not falling behind. BLITZER: Well, good luck, Governor Polis. I appreciate you joining us

as usual. Thank you very much.

POLIS: Thank you.

BLITZER: Just ahead, we saw some big outdoor crowds over the weekend, the lack of social distancing. Do Americans have coronavirus fatigue?

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