Mayor Hancock Issues 'Home By 10' Order: What To Know

DENVER, CO — A new 'Home by 10' public health order has been issued in Denver, Mayor Michael Hancock announced in a virtual news conference Friday. The order is set to go into effect Sunday.

Denver's metro area has seen a rapid spike in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, Hancock said.

"We're on a very dangerous path," Hancock said during the news conference. "Across Colorado, hospitalizations have increased 40 percent."

"With how it's going now, there is another Stay at Home order in our future unless we act now," Hancock said.

Under the new 'Home by 10' order, liquor stores will be required to close at 10 p.m., and people who are out between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. — for nonessential activities — could face a citation, which may include a fine of up to $999 and/or jail time, officials said. Hancock and public health officials said they hope nobody will receive such a citation.

"A curfew is not what we're trying to promote to the public," Hancock said. "We're trying to promote individual responsibility."

"At the end of the day, it's about saving lives," he said.

Grocery stores, pharmacies, essential manufacturing, the airport and medical facilities will be exempt from the order, which will remain in effect for 30 days.

"People should be home by 10 p.m., with certain exceptions, including going to and from work, interstate travel, and getting medical care," the city said in a news release. "Thanksgiving Day will be exempt."

Restaurants will still be able to offer food takeout and delivery after 10 p.m.

Don't miss the latest news updates in Denver: Free Denver Patch Newsletters and Email Alerts | Facebook | Twitter

Under the new order, groups at restaurants will be limited to six people from no more than two households, down from 10 people, officials said.

Recreational athletic activities, including organized youth and adult league sports, practices, games, and tournaments, are prohibited, public health officials said. Spectators are prohibited at all post-secondary and Colorado High School Activities Association sanctioned sporting events.

More than 3,300 new coronavirus cases were reported in Colorado Wednesday, and hospitalizations are the "highest they've ever been," Gov. Jared Polis said in a virtual news conference Thursday.

Adams County also announced a curfew Friday.

Colorado is projected to exceed intensive care unit capacity by the end of December, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

In the Denver area, 1 out of every 100 people has been infected with the virus, so if you interact with 20 people in a day, one of them is likely to have been infected, public health officials said.

People ages 18 to 35 are spreading the virus at high rates in the city, according to the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment. The city has been receiving more than a dozen complaints each day of large groups gathering with no face masks, officials said.

Public health officials urged Denverites to sign up for the state's new coronavirus exposure notifications.