Gov. Jared Polis paused and had difficulty hiding his emotions before responding to a reporter’s question Wednesday about those comparing his stay-at-home order in Colorado to Nazism.

VIDEO | Gov. Polis responds to comparison of stay-at-home order to Nazism in Colorado

“As a Jewish-American who lost family in the Holocaust, I’m offended by any comparison to Nazism,” Polis said. “We have to save lives – the exact opposite of the slaughter of 6 million Jews and many gypsies and Catholics, and gays and lesbians, and Russians and so many others.

“That being said, we know these steps are difficult. It’s not a contest to see what you can get away with. It’s a contest to see how well you can stay at home. By not staying at home … you’re not sticking it to the government, you’re not sticking it to Jared Polis, you’re sticking it to yourself. And you’re putting yourself and your loved ones in jeopardy and you’re prolonging the economic pain and difficulties that your fellow Coloradans face.”

Polis addressed a new epidemiological model with estimates of achieved social distancing. If the state succeeds in socially distancing daily life by 70-80%, the governor said, the rate of coronavirus cases could “plateau.”

Polis also addressed what Colorado may look like once the state begins to “reopen.”