Colorado has announced an affront to civil liberties by introducing vaccine passports in certain jurisdictions in an effort to curb the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
Related: How vaccine passports are crushing freedom, privacy, and civil liberties
“Arapahoe, Adams, Boulder, Jefferson counties — as well as the City and County of Denver, and the City and County of Broomfield will enact extra protocols to prevent super-spreader events. The protocols require that everyone be vaccinated at indoor, unseated events with more than 500 people,” said the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
The new rules will take effect on November 19, according to an order that we obtained for you here.
The state’s health department added that: “The order also recommends that counties adopt vaccine requirements for employees in high-risk settings.”
The department’s executive director Jill Hunsaker Ryan encouraged people to get vaccinated.
“I am grateful for the counties that are coordinating with the state to slow the spread of the virus. Large venues and local governments are part of the solution to ending the pandemic,” she said. “We also need all Coloradans to do their part by getting vaccinated if they haven’t already; getting a booster; and following basic public health precautions like masking, staying home when sick, and handwashing.”
In an executive order signed Thursday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis declared the state to be at high risk of exposure and transmission of the virus and expanded the availability of the booster shots to everyone over the age of 18, who had their last dose over six months ago.
The governor also reactivated the crisis standard of care for staffing to address the potential for understaffing due the increasing number of cases.
“We want to be sure Coloradans know they can and should continue to access necessary health care. If you’re sick and need care, please go get it,” said Dr. Eric France, CDPHE chief medical officer. “Activating staffing crisis standards of care allows health care systems to maximize the care they can provide in their communities with the staff they have available.”
