The Tri-County Health Department, which serves over 1.5 million people in Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas Counties, is preparing a “stay-at-home” order, likely to go into effect on Thursday.

At 5 p.m. Tuesday, Denver started a stay-at-home order which effectively shuts down the city for at least two weeks, with some exceptions, in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

.@TCHDHealth preparing "stay-at-home" order similar, but not identical, to Denver. Difference will be that Denver's order expires on April 10 while TCHD order will go until April 17. Details of final order still being drafted. Expected to go into effect at 8 am on Thursday. — AuroraMayorMike (@AuroraMayorMike) March 25, 2020

The Tri-County order would encompass a 3,000-square-mile area including 26 municipalities.

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman, whose city is in the Tri-County network, said Tuesday night on Twitter that he expects the upcoming order to be “similar” to Denver’s, “but not identical.”

Coffman said he expects the Tri-County order to go into effect at 8 a.m. Thursday and that it will likely run until April 17. Denver’s order is set to expire on April 10, it could, however, be extended.

Tri-County Health held a COVID-19 telephone town hall meeting on Tuesday night.

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