Last week, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a statewide stay-at-home order, and the campus is asking students, faculty and staff to comply with the governor’s directive in order to protect the health, safety and well-being of residents in Boulder and around the state.
The governor’s March 26 order is in effect until April 11 and directs all state residents to stay at home “subject to limited exceptions such as obtaining food and other household necessities, going to and from work at critical businesses, seeking medical care, caring for dependents or pets, or caring for a vulnerable person in another location.” The order may be extended, and any changes will be announced by the governor’s office. It designates universities as critical businesses “provided that social distancing requirements are observed.”
Gov. Jared Polis issued a statewide stay-at-home order on March 26 that is slated to end April 11, unless the governor extends it. Updates will come directly from the governor’s office. Under the order, Coloradans are asked to stay home with the following limited exceptions:
- Obtaining food and other household necessities
- Going to and from work at critical businesses—including college campuses if you provide services critical to the academic and research missions
- Seeking medical care
- Caring for dependents or pets
- Caring for a vulnerable person in another location
For the past several weeks, CU Boulder has been operating within the spirit of orders by the city, county and state to mitigate the spread of the virus. Most significantly, in mid-March the campus implemented remote working and learning for faculty, staff and students, and asked most employees to work remotely. In addition, DiStefano asked students living on campus to check out of the residence halls, if possible, and move back to their permanent homes to reduce the total number of people on campus to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
Most of CU Boulder students who were living on campus have moved home, but others who did not have that option remain in our residence halls. To meet their needs and ensure the campus continues to provide critical campus services, a cadre of critical services employees—those who prepare meals, clean facilities and provide other critical support services—will continue reporting to work as the statewide stay-at-home order remains in effect, campus officials said.
Critical services employees are supporting students and facilitating the work of faculty and their assistants who are maintaining the critical functions of research labs and providing remote learning to students. Supervisors have been asked to work with critical employees to determine appropriate schedules and remote work possibilities to the greatest degree possible so the university can continue to fulfill its mission as an academic and research institution.
