As first reported by Colorado Politics, Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order mandating that as of midnight Thursday all Coloradans must wear a face mask in public indoor settings, to help combat the growing spread of COVID-19. The order applies to all Coloradans older than 10.

Polis said Thursday he was issuing the order because of a “significant” uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases and a “dire picture going forward if we don’t change our actions.” This trend is alarming enough, he said, to justify issuing a mask order. 

Colorado’s response is driven by data, Polis said, “not by politics on either side or wishful thinking… . As you can see data is beginning to be alarming. There is a small window of opportunity to act.”

“The party has to end if we want businesses to open and save lives,”  the governor added.

Polis also addressed previous statements that he had said mandatory requirements would not increase compliance. Having this kind of ordinance in place does increase compliance, he said, based on two surveys by outside groups. Counties with no mask orders see about 67% of people wearing masks, but an ordinance increases that to 83%, he said.

A mask order could prompt people to increase their social distancing, too, he explained. 

“We have a choice in Colorado,” either mask wearing and social distancing or more loss of life, he said. “That’s the decision we have… . This is the least bad of the options we have at our disposal.” 

State epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy joined the news conference and said both the rate of cases, as well as the rate of hospitalizations, are on the increase. That’s reflected in an “R naught” number.

An “R naught” number of less than one means one person infects fewer than one other person. But Colorado’s number is now at between 1.6 and 1.8, according to Herlihy, and up from 1.3 just a week ago. More older and middle-age Coloradans are also being hospitalized, she said. 

Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock both joined Polis at Thursday’s news conference. 

Denver has had a mandatory mask order in effect for two months. Hancock said a statewide order “will be a tremendous tool for all of Colorado.” 

Hancock said Denver is one of the top three cities for passenger travel at the airport. People who wanted to go to beaches – which have been hotpots – are instead heading to Colorado’s mountains. This state order gives those in mountain communities the tools to require masks everywhere, Hancock said.

“We are showing the nation how Colorado leads, by prioritizing the health and safety of residents and the businesses that support our community. This order allows us to work together to keep each other safe,” he said.

Coffman said he supported the mandate, because “it is the least invasive and least costly public health option available to us to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The alternative is to shut down businesses and for schools to remain closed,” he said.

Coffman said he initially hadn’t been on board about a mask order but the situation has changed. He also noted the mask order issued July 8 by Tri-County Health affects three counties in which the city of Aurora resides: Adams and Arapahoe counties, and Douglas County, which opted out. It was the patchwork situation that prompted him to ask the governor for action. 

“You shouldn’t have to look at a map to decide if you’re safe going to a grocery store,” Polis said, addressing the scattered public health orders across the state. 

The state has a few ways to enforce the order, he said. One is a trespassing charge, which gives a store, for example, the ability to call the police when someone refuses to wear a mask. Businesses also must follow the protocol, given that their licenses require them to follow public health orders. 

Polis also put a two-week pause on variances granted to counties for opening businesses and allowing events of more than 10 people. He also announced that the state has acquired enough medical-grade masks to send to school districts, one for each teacher per week as well as for other school staff who come in contact with students. 

Mask mandates are currently in force in about two dozen Colorado cities and counties, but in recent days several Front Range communities have chosen to opt out of a mandatory order from Tri-County Health Department, which includes Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties.

The order will apply statewide and complements orders already in place in home-rule jurisdictions, Polis said. There is no “opt-out” for home-rule local governments, he said. 

Douglas County announced it would leave Tri-County Health over the mandatory order, and town councils in Bennet, Brighton and Castle Rock, all part of Tri-County, also have opted out. More are considering it, including Glendale and Parker.

“Wearing a mask is not a political statement,” Polis said. “The virus doesn’t care what political party you’re in, what belief system you have. It is a threat to every single one of us.”

No Coloradan wants to wear a mask, he said, “but that’s not where we are today. Coloradans want that reasonable expectation of safety. It’s unfair to those Coloradans who are doing the right thing that they may have someone in the next aisle coughing without a mask.”

Gov. Jared Polis’ executive order, July 16, 2020, mandating Coloradans wear masks.