This story first appeared in a Colorado Community Media newspaper. Support CCM’s neighborhood news.
In yet another major lifting of state-imposed coronavirus restrictions, Colorado released an updated public health order on Thursday that removes mask-wearing requirements for schools.
The new order also repeal protocols around COVID-19 outbreaks at schools.
The updated order — which took effect Thursday and expires on Aug. 1 unless it’s extended — whittles Colorado’s state-imposed COVID-19 restrictions down to a point where they leave most Coloradans’ daily lives unaffected.
Previously, the list of settings where masks were required for unvaccinated people included preschool through grade 12 schools and child care centers, including camps. The requirement also applied to staff of Colorado Division of Motor Vehicles offices.
The updated order removes those rules.
Masks are now required for unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated patients, residents and visitors — and medical-grade masks are required for unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated staff — in the following settings that serve vulnerable or at-risk populations:
- Homeless shelters
- Prisons and jails
- Emergency medical and other health care settings