Gov. Jared Polis announced Friday that the general public is no longer required to wear masks, in line with new guidance released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

On Thursday, the CDC specifically said that fully vaccinated people don’t need to wear masks anymore in most situations. Polis’s office said Thursday that the state’s own mask order, which had been narrowed in scope, would soon be changed to stay in line with the federal recommendations.

By Friday afternoon, Colorado had done that, and Polis hailed the change as a “big step.” Now that the change is official, who should or must wear masks? 

So what happened?

On Thursday, the CDC released its guidance clearing vaccinated people to not wear masks indoors. On Friday, Polis announced that the state would no longer require that masks be worn. Instead, the state would move to “recommending” masks. Fully vaccinated people are in the clear generally, but he said that unvaccinated Coloradans should continue to wear masks indoors.

Who has to wear masks in Colorado?

Polis said that until at least June 1, masks will still be required in certain settings. He listed schools, hospitals and health care settings, jails and prisons, child care centers, shelters and congregant care facilities as being places where masks are still required, not suggested. 

Private businesses, like restaurants or gyms, can enact their own masking requirements, he said. He predicted a mix of some requiring face coverings, others only requiring them for the unvaccinated people and still more that don’t require any at all. Given the potential for variability between businesses, Polis advised people to keep a mask handy, even if they’ve been fully inoculated.

If businesses do require you to show vaccination status before you can take off your mask, Polis said that either you give proof or keep covered up. Other businesses, he added, could just lean on an honor system.

The updated CDC recommendations continue to mandate masks on most public transportation such as planes, buses and trains.

What about students or teachers who’re fully vaccinated?

Individual districts have the latitude to set their own policies, Polis said. But districts could decide to allow fully vaccinated teachers and students to end this semester maskless. Likewise, he said that employees at the Division of Motor Vehicles can go without masks if they’ve proven they’re fully inoculated.

Who should keep wearing masks?

The state is now in the business of “recommending” masks instead of requiring them, and Polis urged that unvaccinated Coloradans — which, including children, is still the bulk of the population — continue to wear face coverings until they’ve gotten their shot. The CDC’s guidance specifically cleared the way for fully vaccinated people to go maskless indoors, but Polis said that it wasn’t possible for the state to make face coverings contingent on vaccination status.

“We do not believe there’s any comprehensive way to do that across society,” he told reporters Friday. “There’s no comprehensive way to have a state vaccination passport. It violates people’s privacy, there’s no practical way to implement it.” 

Anything else?

The last state public health order governing individual behavior is one giving guidance on large events. Polis indicated that order is also on the way out; after it expires June 1, he said he didn’t anticipate needing to renew it.