BOULDER, Colo. — The City of Boulder has issued an emergency order prohibiting the sale of alcohol at bars, restaurants and clubs after 10 p.m., according to a release from the city. That's an hour earlier than what the state's order requires for Boulder County.
The order goes into effect Friday and will last until Oct. 8 unless it's amended or extended, the release said, and applies to nearly 200 businesses within Boulder city limits.
The release said the intent of the order is to slow the increasing spread of coronavirus among young people in Boulder. New cases of COVID-19 have been on the rise for almost three weeks in Boulder County, the release said, with the vast majority due to transmission among people ages 18 to 22. The increase has been seen among CU Boulder students living in the University Hill neighborhood in particular.
Boulder County is operating under the state's Safer at Home Level 2 restrictions. The release said if COVID-19 cases continue to rise, the county is at risk of moving to Safer at Home Level 3, which would increase restrictions for the community and local businesses.
Governor Jared Polis (D-Colorado) recently amended his executive order on alcohol sales that ties each county's last call time to its COVID-19 status.
“Alcohol can play a big part in social gatherings,” City Manager Jane Brautigam said in the release. “We are hoping this order will help curb the current case increase we are seeing among younger members of the community. We understand that this order may be frustrating for bars and restaurants that sell alcohol, but the intent is to prevent the city from reverting to Safer at Home Level 3, which would place a further burden on local businesses.”
Boulder County recently issued a public health order prohibiting gatherings within Boulder city limits of anyone ages 18 to 22.
Also, residents of certain properties have been ordered to stay at home except for essential activities or essential travel as defined in the health order.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: COVID-19 Coronavirus
