Boulder County Public Health suggests Longmont council support statewide mask mandate

Nov. 20—Boulder County Public Health officials suggested Friday that Longmont's City Council consider joining a coalition of health agencies' that have called on Gov. Jared Polis to issue a statewide mask mandate and require "vaccine passports" for indoor settings.

"This is a great time" for Longmont's council to write Polis that not having a statewide mask requirement is affecting the Longmont community, Dr. Lexi Nolen, Boulder County Public Health's deputy director, told the council during a special Friday afternoon meeting on COVID-19 issues,

That's because of Longmont's proximity to neighboring counties like Larimer and Weld, which have been less restrictive or later in adopting masking and vaccination rules than those imposed by Boulder County, Nolen and her Boulder County Public Health colleagues suggested during the meeting.

Boulder County Public Health Executive Director Camille Rodriguez said her agency and several others things more should be based on statewide orders, rather than county-by-county, and that Boulder County's health department wishes it hasn't had to impose masking orders of its own.

Boulder County Public Health is one of several metropolitan Denver-area public health agencies that wrote Polis and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Executive Director Jill Ryan on Nov. 12 urging issuance of a statewide mask mandate and vaccine passports because of a surge in COVID-19 patients in the state's hospitals.

Others in that Metro Denver Partnership group are the city and county of Broomfield, Denver Public Health and Environment, the Public Health Institute at Denver Health, Jefferson County Public Health and Tri-County Health Department.

The health officials have called for requiring vaccine passports — proof of vaccination for patrons and staff — in indoor areas considered high-risk such as bars, restaurants, gyms, sporting events and other large-group gatherings, and for requiring face coverings for those ages 2 and up in public indoor settings that don't require vaccine passports.

Longmont City Council members did not indicate during Friday's special meeting, held virtually, whether they'd favor joining the health agencies' campaign for statewide mandates, but they could resurrect the issue at a future regular Tuesday night council meeting or study session.

Longmont's next council meeting is Nov. 30.

Rodriguez and her counterparts in the other metro health agencies wrote Polis and Ryan on Nov. 12: "We share your beliefs that vaccines are the best way to get through the pandemic and appreciate your efforts to promote their availability, especially among children now eligible to be vaccinated.

"However, their uptake has lagged in many areas across the state, and thus, we additionally ask that you take steps to require vaccination without a testing option among the following key sectors of our workforce to increase Colorado's vaccination rates:

— "Teachers, staff, and volunteers in schools and licensed child care settings.

— "Staff and volunteers in shelters and other congregate living settings.

— "Health care providers not already subject to mandates, including individuals licensed by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies Division of Professions and Occupations.

— "State, county, municipal employees, boards and commissions, city councils, and their contractors not already subject to mandates."

City Manager Harold Dominguez told council members during Friday's meeting that insofar as Longmont's own city staff, employees are required to get vaccinated against COVID-19. If they haven't been fully vaccinated yet, they're required to get tested for the virus once each week before they have been.

Councilwoman Susie Hidalgo-Fahring said the council had committed the city government some time ago to follow the directives, orders and guidance issued by the state and Boulder County health departments but that even at that, the numbers of cases in the community "are still going up."

Hidalgo-Fahring questioned whether there may come a point where Boulder County Public Health "says that we need to shut down."

However, Nolen said Boulder County's COVID-19 case vaccination and case numbers "are a lot better than most of the counties around us," even if Longmont's numbers are affected by what's happening in Larimer and Weld counties.

Nolen said part of Boulder County Public Health's strategy, along with the other health agencies that wrote Polis, is to move to a more statewide COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategy.

Hidalgo-Fahring said, "A lot of my frustration is more with the state." She said she hopes the governor will take a stance "on creating something more universal" insofar as fighting the disease's surges and spread.