Beginning May 9, every person over the age of 12 will be required to wear some sort of face covering while anywhere in public in Boulder.

“Although the science varies, most public health experts agree wearing facial coverings in public as social distancing restrictions are eased can help us further reduce the spread of COVID-19 that we’ve achieved by staying at home,” said Bill Hayes, Boulder County Public Health COVID response safety officer. “Facial coverings are not a panacea, however. They must be worn properly to be effective, and they should not be a reason to reduce social distancing.”

The new restriction has some allowances, such as if you are working alone in an office or if a face covering would otherwise harm your health, but for the most part face coverings will be required at all times. Face coverings are required to be made of cloth or fabric without holes that covers the mouth and nose. The masks can be factory made or handmade, so long as they cover the lower half of your face.

Face coverings help prevent the spread of droplets from the wearer to others and from others who may not be wearing a mask. Social distancing guidelines of six feet of space between people must still be maintained.