Due to improving COVID-19 conditions, Larimer County health officials have announced that the Ninth Amended Public Health Order requiring masks in public indoor spaces will expire Saturday, February 12, 2022. This timeline will allow for the Omicron wave to further retreat and gives families, local businesses, and schools time to prepare for the transition.
Overall declining cases and hospitalizations, a high level of community immunity, the recent availability of additional layers of protection (such as free rapid at-home tests and high-quality masks), and increasing treatment options are the reasons health officials will no longer be requiring masks indoors in Larimer County. “What we’ve learned from Alpha, Delta, and Omicron is that each variant is very different,” says Tom Gonzales, Larimer County Public Health Director. “While the use of face masks in crowded indoor settings has been an important mitigation measure over the past two years, I believe it is the right time to end the requirements based on the positive trends we’re seeing with the Omicron variant.”
Once the order expires, Gonzales will continue to strongly recommend that well-fitting, high-quality masks be worn in crowded indoor spaces to help curb outbreaks. Masks will continue to be important in limiting transmission of the virus and protecting those who are immunocompromised.