Colorado guv announces emergency powers to fight coronavirus

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared a state of emergency Tuesday that he says will allow him to take measures to slow the spread of the new coronavirus and limit economic disruptions.

Polis told a news conference at the Capitol that he has directed the state to pursue financial measures to help health, food, nursing home and state employees to stay home if they get sick — rather than expose others to the virus because they’re worried about losing their jobs.

Polis said he’s seeking more testing capacity, and he announced that the private diagnostics firm LabCorp now is performing coronavirus tests that will complement state and federal testing.

The actions come as the number of positive cases in Colorado reached at least 15.