Colorado Governor Jared Polis is urging people to wear cloth masks when they go out in public to help combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Polis donned a Colorado-themed non-medical face mask, saying wearing similar face covering in public would help reduce the virus' transmission.

“This is really going to be, for the foreseeable future, an important part of our culture in Colorado,” Polis said during the Friday press briefing. “The key element is covers mouth, covers nose.” 

Polis added that N95 masks should be reserved for health care workers, rather than public use. The governor said scarves work, or masks could be made with old t-shirts and rubber bands. 

“Combining face coverings with frequent hand washing reduces the transmission of the virus,” Polis said. “It also sends a message to others that we all need to be thoughtful about changing our behavior to reflect this virus.”

Colorado has been under a stay-at-home order for just over a week, but residents are still allowed to leave their homes for necessary activities like grocery shopping and outdoor recreation. 

The governor also announced changes to Colorado’s tax filing deadlines during the Friday briefing. 

The income tax deadline was already extended until July 15, but now the sales tax deadline is extended to May 30, while the property tax deadline is extended to May 1. 

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) said earlier Friday that it was distributing additional medical supplies from the national stockpile, including over 122,000 N95 masks, 287,000 surgical masks, and 392,000 gloves, among other medical supplies. 

CDPHE said it’s the state’s third allotment from the national stockpile.