Long awaited news: Gov. Jared Polis said Friday he’s hoping that restaurants can be open by Memorial Day, if not sooner.

During a Friday news conference, Polis responded to questions about the timeline and process for reopening dine-in restaurants. They’ve been allowed to provide delivery during the pandemic, and curbside service as of April 27. 

“Our goal was to open in May, and I’m still confident that can occur,” Polis said. He’s hoping guidelines will be in place by May 22 or 23, which will give the state about three weeks of data from the “safer at home” order and whether it’s safe. That will give restaurant owners about a week to prepare to open, with a targeted opening around Memorial Day, which is May 25.

Polis also indicated he was in favor of an El Paso County waiver request that would allow local high schools to conduct graduation ceremonies. 

The county submitted its waiver request on Thursday.

Polis said their proposal includes “innovative and thoughtful ways to recognize this rite of passage,” with processes similar to what was employed by the Air Force Academy during its April 18 ceremony. Graduates sat eight feet apart and family and friends were not allowed to attend.

Polis said the county’s public health department is working with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on the final sign-off.

As of noon Friday, 18,801 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in Colorado, and the state is edging closer to a sad benchmark, with 961 deaths. 

Polis also saluted innovative businesses that have found ways to work during the pandemic, and a new website that provides tips for businesses on how to do more telecommuting. 

The website is CanDoColorado. 

Among Polis’ executive orders is one on March 25 telling the Department of Corrections to hold off on admitting prisoners into the prison system, ordering that they remain in pre-detention facilities until otherwise directed by DOC. The order also gave DOC the discretion to award earned time credits as it deems necessarily, as a way to facilitate reduction of the prison population to avoid outbreaks of COVID-19.

But some groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have complained that DOC is moving too slowly. The Sterling Correction Facility, as of Wednesday, reported 262 inmates have tested positive for the virus, one death, and 15 staff who also tested positive. 

According to Joint Budget Committee analyst Steve Allen, DOC has reduced its inmate count by 1,167(out of a high of around 20,000) since the beginning of the outbreak, and as reported by DOC at the end of April. Jailed parolee counts are also down by almost half in the same time period, although the total number of parolees has increased by a similar amount, Allen told the committee this week.

Polis said he has no intetion of seeing dangerous criminals released. “I wouldn’t contemplate such a thing,” he said.

Polis on Friday renewed his executive order declaring a disaster, which will remain in place for 30 days after May 7.