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The public health agency in Boulder County, Colo., on Thursday issued an order further restricting the behavior of college-aged people in the county, home to the University of Colorado at Boulder. The order from Boulder County Public Health, which took effect yesterday at 4 p.m. MST, forbids gatherings "of any size" among 18- to 22-year-olds within the county and requires residents of 36 off-campus facilities (mostly fraternities and sororities) to remain in place for two weeks.
"A gathering is defined as more than one individual coming together or being physically near each other for any shared and common purpose, including socializing or participating in any activity together including but not limited to shopping, dining, or exercising," the order stated.
The county's order follows on the university's decision Monday to begin two weeks of remote instruction Wednesday, which itself followed the announcement of a recommended stay-at-home period it began last week.
The university's chancellor, Phil DiStefano, said Thursday that the county's order gives students three options: stay in Boulder and follow the public health guidelines, return to their permanent residences and study fully online for the rest of the fall, or "choose to not follow the rules that protect our community from COVID-19 spread and run the risk of serious health consequences to yourself and others … Please do not choose this option," he wrote.
DiStefano continued, "Like many of our peer universities across the country, we continue to face new challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have enacted similar approaches to ours and are successfully reducing their positive cases. I believe we can as well, but only if we work together and make sacrifices for each other."
