Colorado Mask Mandate Changes: What To Know

Colorado is lifting the statewide mask mandate after new guidance was issued Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Coloradans can stop wearing face coverings outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. Those who are unvaccinated are asked to wear masks, but aren't required to wear them, Gov. Jared Polis said.

"We are going from the mask wearing requirements to mask wearing suggestions and guidance," the governor said.

The new mask executive order encourages anyone age 11 and older, who is not fully vaccinated, to continue wearing a mask indoors where members of different households are present.

The guidelines still call for everyone to wear masks in crowded indoor settings such as buses, planes, hospitals, childcare centers, prisons and homeless shelters. Masks are also required in schools for unvaccinated students, teachers and staff.

“If you have been fully vaccinated, the pandemic is largely over for you, and you can now resume your activities without a mask,” Polis said. “This is the day we have been waiting for. If you haven’t yet been vaccinated, you should continue to wear a mask in public indoor spaces. I hope the fun of an unmasked future incentivizes those who have yet to get the vaccine to do so.”

Coloradans should still adhere to the rules of local businesses if they require masks, as some workers may not be fully vaccinated yet, Polis said.

"They are trying to keep their workers safe, we respect that," Polis said.

Target and Home Depot announced they will require all customers to continue wearing masks.

In Denver's metro area, Arapahoe, Denver and Adams counties announced residents should follow the statewide mask guidelines; however, Jefferson County said it's awaiting further requirements from the state before an announcement is made.

As of Friday evening, Boulder County announced it would "largely align" with the statewide order.

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"Today is a great day for America," President Joe Biden said during a Rose Garden address Thursday heralding the new guidance, an event where he and his staff went without masks. Hours earlier in the Oval Office, where Biden was meeting with vaccinated Republican lawmakers, he led the group in removing their masks when the guidance was announced.

"If you are fully vaccinated, you no longer need to wear a mask," he said, summarizing the new guidance and encouraging more Americans to roll up their sleeves. "Get vaccinated — or wear a mask until you do."

The new guidance is likely to open the door to confusion, since there is no surefire way for businesses or others to distinguish between those who are fully vaccinated and those who are not.

"Millions of Americans are doing the right thing and getting vaccinated, but essential workers are still forced to play mask police for shoppers who are unvaccinated and refuse to follow local COVID safety measures," said Marc Perrone, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. "Are they now supposed to become the vaccination police?"

Biden said people who are not fully vaccinated should continue to wear masks indoors.

"We've gotten this far — please protect yourself until you get to the finish line," Biden said, noting that most Americans under 65 are not yet fully vaccinated. He said the government was not going to enforce the mask wearing guidance on those not yet fully vaccinated.

"We're not going to go out and arrest people," added Biden, who said he believes the American people want to take care of their neighbors. "If you haven't been vaccinated, wear your mask for your own protection and the protection of the people who also have not been vaccinated yet."

To date, about 154 million Americans — more than 46 percent of the population — have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 117 million are fully vaccinated. The rate of new vaccinations has slowed in recent weeks, but with the authorization Wednesday of the Pfizer shot for children ages 12 to 15, a new burst of doses is expected in the coming days.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.