Boulder County Face Covering Order Ends, But State Order Remains

BOULDER COUNTY, CO — As Boulder County residents continue to navigate shifting public health orders from the state and local level, some mask orders remain.

Boulder County's Public Health order — which required masks in schools, childcare centers, senior facilities, hospitals and jails — expired Thursday and won't be extended; however, the statewide mask order is still in effect for county residents.

Under the statewide order, people ages 12 and older are still required to wear masks in the following settings:

• Schools
• Childcare facilities
• Camps
• Healthcare settings
• Jails

“By allowing the current facial covering order to expire today as planned, and aligning with the state’s order, we are taking enormous strides forward in our comeback from COVID,” said Camille Rodriguez, Boulder County Public Health’s executive director.

“I am so proud of our community for sticking with us during the past 15 months and for continuing to get vaccinated. This next step gets us all closer to doing the things we love.”

Boulder County Public Health strongly recommends the following guidelines:

Healthcare Settings

Masks be worn indoors for everyone ages 2 and older except as follows:

• Staff may remove their face covering with proof of full vaccination when in non-public portions of such facilities.
• For outpatient facilities, medical providers can permit a patient or other individual to remove their face covering in a private room with proof of full vaccination.

Schools, Childcare, and Summer Camps (including extracurricular activities)

• Unvaccinated people ages 2 and older wear a face covering when indoors.
• Allow people to remove their face covering only with proof of vaccination status.
• When one or more students are unvaccinated, other adults in the room wear a face covering as modeling behavior.

Jails and Prisons

• Require face coverings unless proof of vaccination provided.

Individuals

• Individuals 2+ who have not been fully vaccinated continue to practice social distancing, handwashing, and wearing face coverings when near members of other households who are not fully vaccinated.
• Individuals under 2 maintain six feet of distance from members of other households who have not yet been fully vaccinated when outside of childcare or other school settings.

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Boulder County issued the following guidance for businesses, organizations and indoor spaces:

Evaluate whether to require a face covering indoors until 80 percent of the total population in Boulder County has been fully vaccinated with the following considerations:

For public-facing businesses and organizations:

• Unvaccinated staff wear a face covering when interacting with others indoors.
• If staff is fully vaccinated and they are allowed to remove their masks per that business, post a notice at the entrance to inform the public why staff are not wearing masks.
• Require facial coverings for the public while indoors if proof of vaccination is provided or if the business is unable to request vaccination status.
• Review the State’s Civil Rights Guidance prior to implementing face covering policies.

For businesses and organizations that are not public-facing and have stable groups of individuals, such as offices, gyms, private events, and other classes with known membership:

• Individuals who are not fully vaccinated wear a face covering whenever they are around other individuals who are not fully vaccinated.
• Implement policies to allow individuals, particularly those who are unable to get vaccinated (e.g. due to age) or who have compromised immunity, to assess their own risk.
• Review the State’s Civil Rights Guidance prior to implementing face covering policies.