Masks mandatory in Colorado until at least mid-November

Governor Jared Polis announced Friday afternoon that he is extending the statewide mandatory mask mandate, which was set to expire Monday, October 12. It will be extended another 30 days.

Polis first issued the mask mandate July 16.

"I think we're all looking forward to a day when we can put all of our masks in one big bonfire--after the fire restrictions are gone--and send them off and not have to deal with that piece of clothing until Halloween in future years," Polis said. But we're not there, and masks are a vey important tool to keeping our spread of the virus lower."

The announcement comes as Colorado is experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. As of Thursday, October 8, Colorado had 256 residents hospitalized with COVID-19. That is the highest figure since July 20 of this year.

“This is the most concerning data that we’ve had in the last few weeks,” Polis said. “And we need to do better on the mask-wearing, the staying six feet apart from others, reducing our social interactions, washing our hands regularly, being smart, [and] being safe, whether you're 23 or 93. Colorado cares about you… let’s get through this.”

Polis said Coloradans between ages 60 and 69 make up most of the state’s current hospitalizations. That population makes up roughly 11 percent of the state’s population, but makes up about 24 percent of the state’s hospitalizations.

“We need to do better. That means [being better] at wearing masks,” Polis said. “And that’s not because I say to do it, because your public health officials say to do it. It’s because you care about your health, and you care about your family, and you care about your neighbors, and you care about your job. That’s why we’re doing it.”

While the pandemic has disproportionately affected people of color, Polis said the latest surge in hospitalizations has been among white Coloradans. He added that hospitalizations have been increasing in non-metro areas.

Earlier this week, Polis said the state’s R0 (pronounced r-naught) number is currently above 1.0. The R0 tells us how contagious a virus is. If the R0 of a disease is 5, for example, that means each person infected with a virus will transmit it to an average of five people. In order to “flatten the curve,” Colorado must get the R0 figure at or below 1.0.

Statewide, the COVID-19 positivity rate is at 3.96 percent. The state’s goal is to keep that number below 5 percent, but it has increased in recent weeks.

On October 8, the Tri-County Health Department warned Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas counties that they are at risk of being placed under tighter restrictions as COVID-19 cases continue to climb in those areas.

“TCHD’s case investigation and contact tracing follow up show that a large number of the positive cases may be connected to both public and private social gatherings,” said Dr. John M. Douglas Jr., Executive Director of TCHD, in a news release. “To reduce the spread of infection, when gathering – whether it is indoors or outside, or at a private party or public event – everyone should be sure to wear face coverings, maintain at least six feet of social distancing from others outside of their household, and wash their hands frequently.”

Between September 24 and October 7, Adams County saw an increase of 1,420 new COVID-19 cases and 52 hospitalizations. In that same time period, there were 885 new cases and 39 new hospitalizations reported in Arapahoe County, and 400 new cases and eight new hospitalizations reported in Douglas County.

The latest data on COVID-19 in Colorado is available here.