Boulder County ends mask mandate effective Friday, Feb. 18 at 5:00 p.m.
What you need to know about Boulder County rescinding the masking order, plus what the University’s policy will be going forward
On Monday Feb. 14, the Boulder County Board of Health voted to rescind two mask-related public health initiatives–Public Health Order 2021-08 and Public Health Order 2021-07. Today, effective at 5:00 p.m., masks will no longer be required in Boulder County.
According to the Patch, the first measure, Public Health Order 2021-08, mandated masks indoors during times of high COVID-19 transmission. And the second, Public Health Order 2021-07, mandated masks in childcare, camp and other school settings.
While masks will no longer be mandated, it is strongly encouraged that residents get vaccinated and vaccine boosters, continue to wear KN95 and N95 masks and practice good handwashing in order to keep the community healthy and prevent residents from getting sick.
Health officials have also encouraged schools, childcare facilities, and others to enact their own indoor mask policies. Similarly, “BCPH recommends that private businesses and facilities implement their own vaccine or indoor mask requirements and policies,” a news release said.
Camille Rodriguez, Boulder County’s public health executive director, said in a news release, “73 percent of the county’s residents are up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccination…” Despite this high vaccination rate, with the emergence of the omicron variant, the number of COVID-19 deaths in Boulder County continues to increase, she said.
State health officials add that COVID-19 transmission is still higher than they would like.
Although the county has lifted the mask mandate, the University of Colorado has announced that masks will remain mandatory indoors on campus. In order to keep as many classes as possible in-person, the university has decided to take a cautious approach to masking.
According to a news release by the university, CU Boulder will continue to consult with Boulder County Public Health and the campus advisory team after Feb. 24, the booster date requirement. There will be discussions on making masks optional indoors based on fulfillment of the university’s COVID-19 booster requirement as well as reduction of transmission in the county.
