(The Center Square) – As Colorado begins a phased reopening, Governor Jared Polis urged residents to report any businesses suspected of operating in violation of the new safer-at-home order to local health agencies and the state’s Attorney General’s Office.

Polis’ comments came during a broader press briefing detailing the state’s new order, which went into effect Monday after the stay-at-home order expired Sunday.

Retail businesses are permitted to allow curbside service starting on Monday in counties where stay-at-home orders weren’t extended. Those businesses can open to in-person service with social distancing requirements starting May 1, according to the new safer-at-home order. Offices can begin reopening with 50 percent of workforce starting May 4. 

Any business found to be violating the order will be issued a cease-and-desist letter and could lose their license, the governor said. 

“If you see establishments that are not taking the proper precautions and are disobeying the public health order and violating the laws of the state of Colorado, putting you and others at risk, report them to the local public health agency and the Attorney General’s Office,” Polis said. “We all need to do our part to keep ourselves and one another as safe as possible.”  

Text that appeared next to the governor’s briefing said people should “report any concerns.” 

Polis said the safer-at-home order “is the best path forward for all of us,” adding that it was successful in reducing COVID-19’s spread and increasing capacity in the hospital system. 

“We’ve met the criteria for success that we laid out over a month ago when we put the stay-at-home order in place,” he said. “We’ve slowed the spread of the virus.”

“If we slack off, if Coloradans let up, if less people are wearing masks when they’re in public, if stores aren’t being careful and personal services aren't being careful about following the guidelines that we put out, then it’s likely that additional restrictions might have to come back,” Polis warned. 

The governor added Monday that the safer-at-home order bars employers from compelling vulnerable individuals to attend in-person work “for any business or government function.”