Last call for drinks extended to 11 p.m. statewide

Last call for drinks at Colorado bars and restaurants has been extended one hour, according to Gov. Jared Polis.

The order from Polis that required bars and restaurants to only serve alcohol until 10 p.m. was set to expire at midnight on August 21, but Polis announced in an afternoon briefing that the order is being renewed and amended so that drinks can be sold until 11 p.m.

“We are glad to be in a situation where we announced that last call will be moved to 11 p.m., rather than 10 p.m.,” Polis said. “I am hopeful that if the data continues to show the trend we have, I’m very hopeful that in a month that can then go to midnight in a data-driven process.”

Polis emphasized the importance for bars and restaurants to maintain social distancing guidelines as they extend their hours.

“There’s no fooling the data. There’s no fooling the math,” Polis said. “If there’s huge outbreaks, it means that we can’t handle, as a society, those kinds of inebriated, late-night activities.”

The governor said he wanted to applaud restaurants and bars who have adapted to outdoor dining, calling it a “great entrepreneurial adaptation.” He also added that eating outdoors is 20 times safer than indoor dining.

Polis said the data suggests that the mandatory mask-wearing is working to reduce the spread of cases, and that the lower case counts are helping the economy bounce back.

“Because we’ve been successful in our health protocols and finding new ways to do things, many of our mountain towns found that they’ve had a reasonable summer season,” Polis explained. “They’ve done a lot better than a lot of us feared.”

Finally, the governor announced a revamped COVID-19 data website for Coloradans to access. The new site provides more specific information on patient demographic information, hospitalizations, and COVID-19 outbreaks in Colorado.

The new website can be accessed at this link.