Gov. Jared Polis said Friday that reopening Colorado won’t happen fast, as the state recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, despite pressure from the White House and political opponents.

“The urgent phase, we’re at the tail end of this,” the governor said at his Friday afternoon update on the state emergency. “With the stabilization, it’s how do we keep it from spiking again.”

He called it the “sustainable social distancing phase.”

Polis said he would talk more at his Monday briefing about reopening the economy, as he announced a new executive order that will require workers in essential businesses – including grocery stores –  to wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth.

“Where they interact with others in close proximity they need to wear a mask,” he said. “… You are going to be seeing that guaranteed going forward.”

He said restrictions would ease gradually allowing more people to leave their homes.

“People need to earn a living and people need to do enough things in an enjoyable way that we can sustain it for a couple of months,” Polis said.

The baseball-loving governor said cheering on the Rockies and returning to normal gatherings depends on a cure, a vaccine or herd immunity, Polis said. “That’s still months away,” he said.

He provided the grim reality, however.

“There are more deaths ahead of us than there are behind us,” Polis said.

COVID-19 outbreak that has sickened and killed Coloradans since Polis announced the first case on March 5.

Since then, the virus has infected at least 9,047 people and hospitalized 1,755 from 56 of the state’s 64 counties, according to the state health department. Colorado has recorded 391 deaths, roughly equal the population of Morrison. 

So far, the state has tested 43,307 people in a state of 5.7 million.

Polis on Friday announced a stepped-up plan for nursing homes and other senior-care facilities.

He is requiring those facilities to submit an isolation plan to protect residents by May 1.

He will deploy the National Guard to the state’s largest facilities to conduct tests, then working their way down to smaller facilities.

The state is going to “up the bar on enforcement and safety” in those facilities, Polis said.

“When this is all over you can embrace your kids and grandkids ,” Polis said.

Polis, like Democratic governors in other states, is facing pressure from conservatives to begin a gradual reopening of commerce and some public activities, with restrictions.

“The sooner we reopen the better,” House Republican leader Patrick Neville of Castle Rock told Colorado Politics Friday afternoon. “When people can’t access their medical provider, their dentist or their chiropractor it creates more health problems. Not getting a haircut is a small inconvenience for me, but for the lady who cuts my hair who is out of work and can’t afford groceries it is life altering.”

President Trump on Thursday said he was granting governors permission to re-start the economy, after saying earlier in the week that he had “total authority.” Legal experts, as well as some Republicans, have long eschewed federal authority. Trump has a complicated history with states’ rights when they conflict with his plans or views.

“We’re starting our life again,” Trump said during his daily press briefing Thursday. “We’re starting a rejuvenation of our economy again.”

The president released written guidelines Friday after meeting with his bipartisan Opening Up America Again Congressional Group, which includes Colorado Republican Sen. Cory Gardner.

The broad, aspirational guidelines, however, leave the specifics to the governors. Mainly, it recommends a phased-in approach to relaxing social distancing rules, once states can show their cases are decreasing.

The guidelines call for a 14-day downward trajectory in positive tests. Colorado has a flattening curve, or decelerating growth, but not yet a downward trajectory. 

You can read the president’s guidelines by clicking here.

His office noted, in a press statement, that Trump “celebrated the vital role truckers play in keeping America well-stocked.”

The statement added, “President Trump remains a tireless fighter for the American people and will continue to take decisive actions to keep our Nation healthy and prosperous.”

Trump tweeted support Friday for protesters in Minnesota, Michigan and Virginia defying social distancing orders to rally in their states. A similar rally is expected Sunday at the Colorado Capitol in Denver.

In successive tweets Trump declared: “LIBERATE MINNESOTA” followed by “LIBERATE MICHIGAN” and finally, “LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd Amendment. It is under siege!”

Other states are making plans on a tighter window.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott wants retailers to re-open next Friday, allowing customers to pick up orders curbside.

State parks in Texas will reopen Monday, as long as visitors wear face coverings, as restrictions are loosened on non-coronavirus-related surgeries and procedures.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, plans to allow public libraries to allow members to pick up books and materials curbside, among the permitted activities. Golf courses in Wisconsin and Minnesota could open with restrictions next week.

Polis said conditions vary by state, and sometimes in different hot spots. “We’re going to have different reactions in different states,” he said at his Friday briefing.

encouraged Coloradans to stay close to home, if they get out driving or walking, ideally a mask and social distancing.

“It’s not a vacation,” he said. “It’s a pandemic.”

The mountains and trails would be there when coronavirus is long gone, Polis said.

Colorado Springs Gazette reporter Evan Wylodge contributed to this story.