Boulder County Public Health Updates Facial Covering Order to Align with State Order

Face coverings remain a vital tool in the fight against COVID-19.

Boulder County, CO – – Boulder County Public Health has updated the Boulder County Facial Covering Order to align with the Colorado Face Covering Order by adopting the face covering requirement in all public indoor spaces for every person over 10 years of age at all times and continuing to require face coverings outdoors when social distancing cannot be maintained. The Order does not have an end date and will remain in place until it is rescinded.

“We’re making this update so it’s easier for all residents and visitors to our communities to understand and follow the masking requirement,” said Jeff Zayach, Boulder County Public Health executive director. “No matter where you are in Colorado, if you’re older than 10, you must wear a face covering at all times when inside public indoor spaces. Mask wearing is an important tool to help curb the acceleration of new cases, and it will allow us to make strides towards repairing our economy.”

The changes to the Order include:

• All requirements and exceptions outlined in the state face covering order.
• All face covering requirements now apply to all individuals over age 10, aligning with the state.
• All individuals older than ten years old must wear a face covering in public indoor spaces in Boulder County at all times.
• When outdoors, all individuals older than ten years of age must wear a face covering if social distancing of six feet cannot be maintained.
• Clarifying that mesh, netting, or similarly porous material does not meet the requirements or definition of a face covering.

“We know this has been a long and difficult summer. We are grateful to every single resident who continues to take steps to protect themselves and the community by wearing a face covering. If we all work together, we can keep the increase in new cases low, and help to protect our most vulnerable residents now and into the future,” said Zayach.

Children younger than two years old should not wear face coverings due to their risk of suffocation. Anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove their mask without assistance should also refrain from wearing one.

The state Order requires businesses to ensure all individuals, including customers, are wearing face coverings the entire time they are in a public indoor space. Visitors to public indoor spaces who cannot tolerate a mask should seek alternatives, such as curbside delivery, to avoid entering public indoor spaces.

Cloth face coverings should be washed regularly to remove respiratory droplets. It’s also always best to handle them by the straps only and to wash hands before and after handling them in case they have been contaminated.

In situations where local municipalities or school districts also have face covering orders in place, the most protective order takes precedence.

Residents are encouraged to review the FAQs for the state face covering order, as well as the guidance for reasonable accommodations due to the presence of COVID-19.

Boulder County Public Health COVID-19 updates are shared by press release and/or on the Boulder County Public Health Facebook and Twitter social media pages and the COVID-19 website at www.boco.org/covid-19.

-BoulderCountyHealth.org-