Colorado’s governor announces free coronavirus testing, including for asymptomatic residents

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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said Monday the state is now offering free coronavirus testing to any residents who need it, with or without symptoms.

“Cost is not a barrier,” Polis said. “There is no copay. There is no out of pocket.”

He encouraged those who do have symptoms specifically to seek out testing. “You really should get tested if you have fever, dry cough, shortness of breath,” he said. “Remember the flu is mostly gone, so if you have symptoms, there’s a higher chance it’s Covid-19.”

He also encouraged essential workers, especially those who work with vulnerable populations and who aren't symptomatic, to get tested.

The Democratic governor said there are 32 testing sites across the state and he hopes Colorado can test at least 8,500 people per day by the end of May. He said the state has the capability to process as many as 10,000 tests per day.

COLORADO GOV. POLIS PUSHES BACK AGAINST CDC'S DEATH COUNTS 

Colorado entered phase one of reopening in late April, allowing retail to open for curbside delivery and personal service providers, including hair salons, dog groomers, tattoo shops, etc. to open with strict precautions. Polis said the state would release preliminary guidelines for reopening restaurants on Monday and finalize the guidelines by next week.

He said restaurants would need to ramp up outdoor seating to reopen.

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"I encourage every municipality to have that discussion," Polis said. "I hope every city is thoughtfully doing this. It's really important they open their sidewalks, parking lots and/or streets because restaurants can't stay in business at a quarter- or half-capacity."

Colorado on Saturday amended its coronavirus death count from 1,150 to 878 after the Department of Public Health admitted its COVID-19 death was counting those who tested positive for the coronavirus but had died of other causes.