Denver Drops COVID Mask Order Update

US

During a January 31 press conference about Denver‘s approach to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayor Michael Hancock confirmed that the city will not be extending the so-called mask-or-vax public-health order instituted just prior to Thanksgiving 2021, which required face coverings or proof of vaccination in most public indoor spaces, including businesses and restaurants. The order expires at the end of Thursday, February 3.

“Beginning Friday, people will no longer be required to wear a mask or show proof of vaccination” for entry into most Denver businesses, Hancock said. He noted that owners and managers of private operations will retain the right to impose their own requirements, and he urged those who might object not to “give their staff a hard time or inappropriately harass people because they’re enforcing their business requirements. This has been an incredibly hard two years for all of us…. We need a little less anger and petulance and a little more understanding for folks toward one another.”

Hancock added that masking requirements for centers serving elderly or vulnerable populations, aren’t going anywhere for now.

And the masking policy in schools and child-care centers won’t change, either. When asked why not, Denver Department of Public Health & Environment executive director Bob McDonald stressed that the Hancock administration would be unable to make such a move right now because of superseding state and federal rules.

McDonald pointed out that many young children aren’t eligible to receive vaccines. But as complaints began popping up on Facebook during the live event, he noted that such masking was part of “state-level policies,” and “under current guidelines from the state, we could have large groups of kids quarantined.” For that reason, he explained, “we have to be a little more thoughtful. In a public setting, we don’t have that challenge. In a school setting, we do.” Even though conversations about school masking among local public-health agencies are ongoing, he maintained that “we will make the right decision when it’s the right time.”

Hancock made a similar point about federal mask requirements at Denver International Airport and on public transit. They’ll be sticking around for a while longer, too. Meanwhile, he insisted that the COVID crisis isn’t over, even as he repeatedly said the fight against the disease was entering a “new phase” that would allow officials to “manage the situation instead of issuing these really challenging orders.”

During a question-and-answer session with reporters, both Hancock and McDonald contended that the decision to let the latest public-health order end — a move they implied would be duplicated soon by other metro-area counties — is being driven by data and science, not politics. They also argued that the move isn’t premature, despite the recent discovery of a new Omicron sub-variant. Indeed, McDonald cited early signs that the most recent mutation appears to be causing even milder symptoms than the original version of Omicron, which sparked the latest surge in cases and hospitalizations, as an indication that COVID-19 could be evolving toward becoming a more typical coronavirus, rather than remaining a deadly one. He stopped short of saying the disease had become endemic rather than pandemic, but hinted that things could be trending in that direction.

Of course, a new, more dangerous variant could emerge, too, and if that’s the case, McDonald said the city was ready to act — “but my hope is that we won’t have to go back to mandates in the fall, and we can manage this with more programmatic tools,” such as trying to convince as many people as possible to get vaccinated and to sign up for booster shots.

Thus far, around 78 percent of eligible Denver residents have been vaccinated, and because so many others have recovered from an infection, McDonald said that removing the face-covering order shouldn’t have a negative impact. “The modeling makes it clear this is safe,” since it seems that “Omicron has run out of fuel in our community,” he explained. “But we still need to be diligent.”

Products You May Like

Articles You May Like

Jets owner Woody Johnson refutes ‘absolutely false’ report he and coach Robert Saleh had dispute
Mortgage applications are down. Here’s why buyers may want to act now.
Stunning Development in Star Guard’s Rehab
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez criticized following speech in front of burnt American flag
Taylor Swift’s father faces ‘no further action’ over assault allegation

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *