Boulder on Friday issued an emergency order prohibiting alcohol sales at bars, restaurants and clubs after 10 p.m. in response to the city’s increase in coronavirus cases.
The order went into effect at 5 p.m. Friday and will last through Oct. 8 at noon, according to a news release from the city, but it could be further amended or extended. The order applies to 199 businesses within the city, restricting alcohol sales “to end consumers for on-premises consumption between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.,” the release states.
New cases have been on the rise for nearly three weeks in Boulder County, with “the vast majority due to transmission among people aged 18-22, particularly those attending the University of Colorado Boulder and living in the University Hill neighborhood,” the release states.
If cases continue to rise, the county is at risk of moving from Safer-at-Home level 2 restrictions to Safer-at-Home level 3 restrictions.
“Alcohol can play a big part in social gatherings,” City Manager Jane Brautigam stated 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 Public Health on Thursday issued an order halting gatherings for Boulder residents between the ages of 18 and 22 and issued stay-at-home orders to more than 30 University Hill residences in an effort to slow the coronavirus spread.
The city’s order “is intended to slow the increasing spread of coronavirus among young people in Boulder. This order was not meant to address behavior inside homes,” city spokesperson Shannon Aulabaugh said.
Public health spokesperson Chana Goussetis said the department also hopes the order helps slow the virus “by reducing opportunities for folks to gather and be in close proximity, which makes it easy for the virus to spread.”
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