A law enforcement officer guides traffic into a parking lot where the Colorado Air National Guard is testing people, who suspect they are infected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at a drive-thru testing station, in Denver, on March 14, 2020. Photo by REUTERS/Jim Urquhart

Colorado orders residents to stay at home as virus spreads

Nation

DENVER — Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is issuing a statewide stay-at-home order in an attempt to stem the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

Polis said he is taking this "extreme measure," effective Thursday until April 11 because restrictions taken to date haven't done enough to reduce the spread of the virus. People should only leave home when they absolutely must, he said, for grocery shopping, to seek medical care or to care for dependents. Polis' order comes after six Colorado counties issued stay-at-home orders affecting nearly 3 million people.

More than 1,086 people in Colorado have tested positive for the virus and at least 20 people have died.

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Colorado orders residents to stay at home as virus spreads first appeared on the PBS News website.

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