Integrity, Safety and Compliance - County increases allowable gathering size under public health order
Oct. 20, 2020
Dear Students, Faculty and Staff,
Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) announced that as of noon today, the county is moving to the baseline level, which is less restrictive, of the current public health order on gatherings for 18-to-22-year-olds.
What this means for all 18-to-22-year-olds in the city of Boulder:
- People in this age group are permitted to join gatherings of up to 10 people. This is the same guideline that currently applies to people of all ages in Boulder County.
- 18-to-22-year-olds may visit businesses (restaurants, retail, etc.), as long as they follow physical distancing, facial covering and gathering size limit requirements.
- The health order will continue to be enforced through a weekly review by BCPH, which may change mandates based on circumstances at the time.
- Residents of collegiate group homes that are under stricter stay-at-home orders must still comply with their specific orders and mitigation plans.
To hear more about this and other aspects of our COVID-19 response:
- CU Boulder hosts a weekly update for faculty, staff, students and Buff families on Tuesdays at noon via Zoom. The city of Boulder hosts community updates every Thursday at 10:15 a.m. Information on attending the briefings is available online.
This increase to gatherings of up to 10 people for 18-to-22-year-olds in Boulder is possible because of the improvements in metrics Boulder County Public Health has tracked among this age group. More information on the county’s public health orders and tracking is available on the Boulder County website.
These improvements in the metrics in the 18-to-22-year-old population indicate that CU students have been doing their part to address COVID-19 outbreaks, but a return to baseline levels does not mean that any of us can relax our vigilance. COVID-19 remains a constant threat to the community and the campus, and the county is experiencing increasing COVID-19 infections in the general population. We need to continue to engage in safe practices and prevent another spike in the CU student population.
Remaining at this less restrictive level will continue to be possible only if we avoid surges in cases among this age group and remain within the established levels for all tracked metrics. Boulder County Public Health plans to evaluate metrics every Tuesday, keeping the public health order on gathering size limits active through at least Dec. 15.
Thank you to our students for taking action and following the public health orders. Because of the majority of students’ actions to this point, every member of our campus community can now participate in gatherings of up to 10 people. The limited number of students who have not been following expectations must understand that their actions are continuing to put their peers and others at risk. The campus will continue to enforce public health orders, and those who engage in significant violations of public health requirements face discipline, including suspension from CU.
Testing availability reminder:
- All students, faculty and staff can participate in the campus monitoring program for COVID-19. Read more about locations and times.
- On-campus residents are required to participate in monitoring, as are certain employees. More information is available.
- Those who complete their weekly COVID-19 monitoring test will be entered for a chance to win $100. Three prizes will be given each week.
- In October, on-campus residents who live in the residence hall or apartment building with the highest level of monitoring test participation will also have a chance to win one of three $50 CU Book Store gift cards.
- Students should contact the Public Health Clinic at Wardenburg to schedule a diagnostic test if they:
- Have a monitoring test that indicates the possibility of COVID-19.
- Are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
- Have had a known exposure to a person with COVID-19 (recommendation is to wait to test until five to seven days after exposure).
Thank you for continuing to follow current public health requirements and guidelines.
Dan Jones
Associate Vice Chancellor of Integrity, Safety and Compliance