City of Grand Junction issued the following announcement on July 17.
“We know that there are a lot of questions and strong feelings regarding the Governor’s Executive Order announced this afternoon regarding masks ,” commented City Manager Greg Caton. The Governor’s Executive Order requires that every Coloradoan over the age of 10 to wears a mask in all indoor spaces and while around others. We are prepared to implement the Governor’s Order for the City’s public facilities and will work with the community to inform and assist in compliance.
The mask mandate, effective Friday, July 17, is an executive order and is thereby enforceable by law. Residents in all counties of Colorado must wear a cloth face covering while indoors. Mesa County’s variance under Safer at Home does not exempt us from this statewide order. In short, the order requires masks be worn by anyone over the age of 10 years old in all public indoor spaces, as well as when utilizing public transportation, as part of a statewide effort to curb the spread of COVID-19. The City will continue to work closely with Mesa County Public Health, and our strong desire is education and voluntary compliance, as it has been from the very beginning of this pandemic. Questions, concerns, and complaints regarding COVID-19 and compliance with public health orders should continue to be directed to the Mesa County Public Health COVID-19 hotline at 970.683.2300.
Additionally, although the Governor’s order indicates that police officers may be exempt from the mask mandate, all employees with the Grand Junction Police Department are required to wear masks whenever they are interacting with the public except in emergent, tactical situations. We are committed to our responsibility to do our part to keep our community safe and healthy.
“Calls for service must be prioritized by our officers and dispatchers, and calls regarding refusal to comply with this executive order will be no different,” says Grand Junction Police Chief Doug Shoemaker. “If officers are called to handle a dispute over mask compliance, that is time taken from other calls for service received from members of our community who need our help. We receive an incredible amount of support from this community, and we would humbly ask that folks treat one another with civility and respect and do the right thing by complying with the law.”
Original source can be found here.
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