Protestors dressed as the Grim Reaper lined the sidewalk along Lincoln Avenue in front of the Colorado State Capitol building, May 26, 2020, protesting possible evictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • Protestors dressed as the Grim Reaper lined the sidewalk along Lincoln Avenue in front of the Colorado State Capitol building, May 26, 2020, protesting possible evictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
    Protestors dressed as the Grim Reaper lined the sidewalk along Lincoln Avenue in front of the Colorado State Capitol building, May 26, 2020, protesting possible evictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
  • Protestors dressed as the Grim Reaper lined the sidewalk along Lincoln Avenue in front of the Colorado State Capitol building, May 26, 2020, protesting possible evictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado
    Protestors dressed as the Grim Reaper lined the sidewalk along Lincoln Avenue in front of the Colorado State Capitol building, May 26, 2020, protesting possible evictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Philip B. Poston/Sentinel Colorado

DENVER | Viral transmission rates continue to fall a month after Gov. Jared Polis ended a statewide stay-at-home order, the governor said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon, allowing for more gradual reopening with conditions.

Polis ended the statewide stay-at-home order April 26, just after a surge of positive COVID-19 cases were reported to the state. According to data compiled by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, more than 970 cases were reported to the state health authority on April 30. That number has generally declined in the last month to 222 reported positive cases on May 26, the most recent day with available data. The state reported 1 death on Tuesday, brining the statewide total associated with the virus to 1,352. There are currently 507 people hospitalized due to COVID-19 illness.

The incidence of infection, death and hospitalization have all been trending down for more than a month now.

“…It is not conclusive, but so far, the indications are good,” Polis said Tuesday. 

The governor noted downhill ski area Arapahoe Basin was allowed to reopen with conditions, along with state parks in many locations. Restaurants may also open Wednesday with reduced capacity, and day camps can begin to open as well. Douglas County, which includes a sliver of Aurora, is enjoying more relaxed restrictions than the rest of Aurora region.

However, Polis stipulated the gradual reopening will continue only if Coloradans continue to social distance. He said the pandemic would continue for “months.”

Polis encouraged locals to wear masks, even in areas like Aurora that have not ordered  residents to don a mask when entering places of business and interacting with other residents. It’s a practice recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national authority on public health measures. 

Along with some returns to normal life, Polis did not say he would extend his month-long ban on filing new eviction orders, which expires May 30. In response to a reporter’s question, Polis said courts are set to gradually resume considering eviction orders.

Aurora-region officials are trying to prepare for a possible wave of eviction and foreclosure filings as historic levels of Coloradans remain out of work. Last week, the City of Aurora debuted a new rental assistance program.