Arapahoe County Mask Order: Violations Reported At 112 Businesses

ARAPAHOE COUNTY, CO — Arapahoe County remains under an indoor mask mandate, but some businesses are not complying, according to reports received by the Tri-County Health Department.

Since the order was implemented Nov. 24, the department has received 112 complaints about people not wearing masks in Arapahoe County businesses, public health officials said. The department is maintaining the same approach it used previously — contacting businesses about the order and providing education and guidance, officials said.

The department voted Nov. 22 to issue the order, which requires everyone ages 2 and older to wear a mask in Arapahoe and Adams counties. Indoor mask mandates were also issued in Jefferson County and Denver.

Those who can't wear a face mask for medical reasons are exempt from the order.

Businesses and venues that implement a voluntary vaccine verification program, which assures full vaccination of all employees, staff and customers, will also be exempt from requiring masks.

The order will remain in effect until Jan. 2, and will continue until ICU bed capacity reaches 10 percent or higher for 14 consecutive days, public health officials said.

"Masks have proven to be effective in reducing the spread of this virus, especially when combined with other prevention efforts" said John Douglas, Jr., executive director of the Tri-County Health Department, after the mandate was issued.

"With the holiday season upon us, this order is necessary to try to avoid hospital capacity being breached by a growing number of hospitalizations and running the risk of having to ration medical care."

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A woman from Arapahoe County tested positive for the omicron variant after she traveled to Southern Africa, state public health officials announced Thursday.

This case was identified after a positive test result through a routine case investigation by the Tri-County Health Department, and the case was then flagged by state epidemiologists for follow-up because of the patient's recent travel history, officials said.

Then another Colorado case of the variant was reported in Boulder County on Friday. The patient had also traveled to Southern Africa, officials said.