Beginning Wednesday, all indoor spaces in Denver will require masks.
*Updated on November 24 at 11 a.m.:
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock announced on Tuesday that the indoor mask mandate will be reinstated, as there have been high rates of COVID-19 cases and hospitalization, reports indicate.
The indoor mask mandate will go into effect on Wednesday and last until January 3.
Hancock said that if a business or venue doesn't want to implement the mandate, they must implement a vaccine check for all customers.
You can review each of the Denver metro area counties' mask mandate orders below:
- All individuals 2 years old and older must wear face coverings in public indoor spaces from November 24 through January 3.
- Exceptions to the mask mandate include children younger than 2 years old and those who can't medically tolerate a face covering.
- Under the order, a person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose of a two-dose vaccine or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine.
- Public indoor spaces are defined as any enclosed indoor area other than a person's home that is accessible to the public. That includes businesses, event venues, office buildings, and common areas of apartment buildings and condominiums.
- All public indoor spaces must post signs at every public entrance on the mask requirement.
- Anyone who doesn't comply with the public health order may be fined up to $5,000 per violation.
Any facility or business can declare itself as a Fully Vaccinated Facility, a designation that has several criteria:
- The owner, operator, or manager must verify that at least 95% of people in the facility are fully vaccinated. That includes employees, invitees, attendees, patrons, and customers.
- The owner, operator, or manager must notify the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE) of the facility's name, address, type (office, restaurant, gym, etc.), contact information for the person responsible for verifying individuals' vaccination status and the date that the facility began collecting vaccination status.
- There doesn't appear to be an application and approval process for the program, which is the case in some other counties.
Adams County and Arapahoe County:
- Adams and Arapahoe Counties are subject to the Tri-County Health Department (TCHD) order that will be in effect from November 24 through January 2.
- All individuals 2 years old and older, including those who are fully vaccinated, must wear a face-covering in public indoor areas.
- Exceptions to the mask order include children under the age of 2 and individuals who can't medically tolerate a mask.
- Proof of full vaccination is defined as documentation showing one course of a single-dose COVID vaccine or two doses of a two-dose COVID vaccine. That can be a vaccination record card, a photo of a vaccination card, documentation from a health care provider, or a digital record accessed through the myColorado application.
- A public indoor space is defined as any enclosed indoor area that to which the public has access that isn't a person's private residence.
- The order says TCHD will attempt to seek voluntary compliance through education, technical assistance, and warning notices; however, the order may be enforced by any legal means.
TCHD is instituting a Vaccine Verification Program that businesses, facilities, and events can opt into. The program requirements include:
- The facility must submit an application to TCHD and get the health department's approval before operating under the program.
- 95% of individuals in the facility must be vaccinated, and the facility must require proof of vaccination of individuals who enter. That includes employees, guests, customers, and members.
- The facility must have program signage at all entrances.
- The facility must have a system for evaluating exemption requests.
- Boulder County began a mask mandate on September 3, which is in effect until the Boulder County Public Health director amends or repeats it.
- Under the order, all individuals 2 years old or older must wear a face-covering in public indoor spaces. Exceptions include children younger than 2 and people who can't medically tolerate a mask.
- Any business in violation of the order may be subject to civil or criminal action. Failure to comply with the order could result in a fine of up to $5,000 and imprisonment in the county jail for up to 18 months.
Boulder County has an Approved Fully Vaccinated Facility program, where an owner or operator submits an application to Boulder County Public Health and must get approval before being in the program. Facilities in the program must:
- Require and check proof of vaccination of all people who enter.
- Agree to inspections by Boulder County Public Health for compliance.
- Post signs at entrances that say proof of full vaccination is required for entry.
- The order is in effect from December 1 through December 31, unless it is extended.
- Everyone over the age of 2 (both staff and patrons) in all City and County of Broomfield facilities must wear a face-covering.
- People who are fully vaccinated can opt-out of wearing a mask by showing proof of full vaccination upon request.
- Broomfield's mandate does not apply to businesses.
- The Douglas County Health Department public health order is in effect from November 13 through December 31.
- Individuals 18 and older can claim exemption from any requirement to wear a mask within the county. Children younger than 18 are exempt if their parent or guardian provides a written declaration saying a mask would have a negative impact on the child's physical or mental health.
- No individual is required to quarantine because of COVID-19 exposure unless the exposure is associated with a known outbreak, and any quarantine will be lifted after a minimum of seven days or five days with a negative test result.
- The Douglas County School District requires face coverings in schools except for students who have a documented medical exemption. The school district also follows quarantine practices set in place before this public health order was issued.
- All individuals 3 years old and older must wear a face-covering in indoor public spaces starting November 24.
- The order remains in effect until the county has at least 21 consecutive days of moderate or low transmission of COVID-19, as measured by the CDC Transmission Tracker.
- Exemptions to the order include those under the age of 3 and those who can't medically tolerate a face covering.
- A public indoor space is defined as all enclosed indoor areas that are not inside a person's private residence.
- Proof of full vaccination is defined as documentation showing one course of a single-dose COVID vaccine or two doses of a two-dose COVID vaccine. That can be a vaccination record card, a photo of a vaccination card, documentation from a health care provider, or a digital record accessed through the myColorado application.
- Any facility in violation of the order may be subject to civil action.
The county has an Approved Fully Vaccinated Facility program in which the owner or operation has to submit a request to Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) no later than December 10 and be approved for the program:
- At least 95% of all employees, staff, guests, customers, and others must be fully vaccinated to enter the facility.
- The facility must require and check proof of vaccination of everyone who enters.
- The facility must agree to an unannounced inspection by JCPH for compliance.
- The facility must post signs at entrances that proof of full vaccination is required to enter.
- Larimer County's mask mandate went into effect on October 21 and will stay in effect until the county meets four metrics on cases and hospitalizations for 21 consecutive days.
- Individuals 3 years old and older must wear a face-covering in public indoor spaces. Exemptions include people who can't medically tolerate a mask and children 2 years old and younger.
- This order doesn't include a full-vaccination program for facilities and businesses.
- A public indoor space is defined as any enclosed indoor area that is accessible to the public and isn't a person's private residence.
- Businesses must post signs at entrances telling people about the mask requirement.
What do you think of the new mask mandate in Denver? Comment below.