HAE

On 3/25/2020, Public Health Director Tom Gonzales issued a Stay at Home order requiring all individuals in Larimer County to stay at home except for food and essential services to further reduce the spread of illness in our community. The order has been extended to be effective through April 26th.

We are strongly encouraging everyone to postpone what they can in order to protect themselves, their families, and the larger community during this quickly growing pandemic. 

Questions or Comments About the Stay-at-Home Order

Purpose of the Order

The core purpose of this order is to promote physical distancing to the greatest extent possible. This has been issued based on evidence of the increasing occurrence of COVID-19 within Larimer County, scientific evidence and best practices about the most effective approaches to slow the transmission of communicable diseases generally and COVID-19 specifically, and to protect those most at risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19. The purpose of any stay-at-home directive is for the majority of people in our community to remain at home and stay well so that our medical systems are able to continue to provide care to the most critical patients from COVID-19 and to reduce the number of days until the community reaches the peak transmission.

Larimer County Officials estimate transmission has already been reduced based on previous measures taken in Larimer County and Colorado, such as closing restaurants and bars for dine-in service, halting personal services in hair salons and spas and bans of gatherings of more than ten individuals.  If no further measures were taken, Larimer County officials believe it would take months to slow the spread of transmission in the community. 

However, with the addition of this Stay-at-Home Order, which directs the community to leave the house or place of residence only for food and essential services, public health officials believe they could achieve a substantial decrease in transmission. A Stay-at-Home order now can dramatically decrease the length of restrictions in Larimer County. 

Intent of this Order



While some will call this directive, "shelter-in-place," it is far from the shelter-in-place of acute emergencies, like for active shootings or tornadoes. The purpose of such an order is to enforce physical distancing between people to slow and stop the spread of the virus. There is nothing inherently dangerous about going outside but rather in being close to other people who are ill, whether they know it or not.

During a stay-at-home order you are able to:

  • Go to the pharmacy to get medication.
  • Get groceries for you and anyone that lives in your home.
  • Have a take-out meal from your favorite local restaurant.
  • Get food or supplies for your pet.
  • Take a walk or go for a hike -- as long as you are keeping your distance from others.
  • Enjoy City and County open spaces
  • Take groceries and supplies to your at-risk parents, grandparents, or neighbors
  • Get margaritas-to-go from your favorite watering hole! (please enjoy responsibly from home)

Essential Activities and Business

The shelter-in-home order that Larimer County and state public health is adopting requires residents to remain in place at their homes EXCEPT for essential activities, including:

  • Tasks essential to maintain health and safety, such as obtaining medicine or seeing a doctor.
  • Getting necessary services or supplies for themselves or their family or household members, such as getting food and supplies, pet food and supplies necessary for staying at home.
  • Caring for a family member in another household.
  • Caring for the elderly, minors, dependents, people with disabilities or other vulnerable persons.
  • Exchanging physical custody of your child(ren) with their other parent as part of a custody arrangement.

The shelter-in-home order also does not apply to those going to work in an essential business or essential government function.

Critical Business (Essential Business) is Defined Below

We strongly recommend that all businesses, including those designated as critical or essential, carefully consider if and how they will operate during the stay-at-home order. We recommend businesses operate virtually as much as possible and discontinue services and operations that can be postponed until a later time. While some businesses and services are outlined below as critical or essential and may remain open, our community feels strongly that many businesses currently operating should be closed.

We are strongly encouraging everyone to postpone what they can in order to protect themselves, their families, their customers and clients, and the larger community during this quickly growing pandemic. 

  • Hospitals, clinics, and walk-in health facilities
  • Medical and dental care, including ambulatory providers
  • Research and laboratory services
  • Medical wholesale and distribution
  • Home health care companies, workers and aides
  • Pharmacies
  • Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
  • Behavioral health care providers
  • Veterinary care and livestock services
  • Nursing homes, residential health care, or congregate care facilities
  • Medical supplies and equipment manufacturers and providers, including durable medical equipment technicians and suppliers
  • Blood banks
  • Utilities and electricity, including generation, transmission, distribution and fuel supply
  • Road and railways
  • Oil and gas extraction, production, refining, storage, transport and distribution
  • Public water and wastewater
  • Telecommunications and data centers
  • Transportation and infrastructure necessary to support critical businesses
  • Hotels, and places of accommodation
  • Businesses and organizations that provide food, shelter, social services, and other necessities of life for economically disadvantaged, persons with access and functional needs, or otherwise needy individuals
  • Food and plant cultivation, including farming crops, livestock, food processing and manufacturing, animal feed and feed products, rendering, commodity sales, and any other work critical to the operation of any component of the food supply chain
  • Any business that produces products critical or incidental to the construction or operation of the categories of products included in this subsection
  • Food processing, manufacturing agents, including all foods and beverages
  • Chemicals
  • Computers and computer components
  • Medical equipment, components used in any medical device, supplies or instruments
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Sanitary products
  • Telecommunications
  • Microelectronics/semiconductor
  • Agriculture/farms
  • Household paper products
  • Any business that produces products critical or incidental to the processing, functioning, development, manufacture, packaging, or delivery of any of the categories of products included in this subsection
  • Any manufacturing necessary to support a Critical Business
  • Grocery stores including all food and beverage stores
  • Farm and produce stands
  • Gas stations and convenience stores
  • Restaurants and bars (for take-out/delivery only as necessary under Executive Order D 2020 011 and PHO 20-22, as amended)
  • Marijuana dispensary (only for the sale of medical marijuana or curbside delivery pursuant to Executive Order D 2020 011)
  • Firearms stores
  • Hardware, farm supply, and building material stores
  • Establishments engaged in the retail sale of food and any other household consumer products (such as cleaning and personal care products)
  • Establishments engaged in the sale of products that support working from home
  • Trash, compost, and recycling collection, processing and disposal
  • Mail and shipping services, and locations that offer P.O. boxes
  • Self-serve laundromats and garment and linen cleaning services for critical businesses
  • Building cleaning and maintenance
  • Child care services
  • Automobile rental, auto supply and repair (including retail dealerships that include repair and maintenance, but not retail sales)
  • Warehouse/distribution and fulfillment, including freight distributors
  • Funeral homes, crematoriums, and cemeteries
  • In-person pastoral services for individuals who are in crisis or in need of end of life services provided social distancing is observed to the greatest extent possible
  • Storage for Critical Businesses
  • Animal shelters, animal boarding services, animal rescues, zoological facilities, animal sanctuaries, and other related facilities
  • Newspapers
  • Television
  • Radio
  • Other media services
  • Banks and credit institutions
  • Insurance, payroll, and accounting services
  • Services related to financial markets
  • Homeless shelters and congregate care facilities
  • Food banks
  • Human services providers whose function includes the direct care of patients in State-licensed or funded voluntary programs; the care, protection, custody and oversight of individuals both in the community and in State-licensed residential facilities; those operating community shelters and other critical human services agencies providing direct care or support
  • Housing and housing for low-income and vulnerable people
  • Skilled trades such as electricians, plumbers
  • Other related firms and professionals for who provide services necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation, and critical operation of residences, and other essential services
  • Defense, security, and intelligence-related operations supporting the State of Colorado, local government, the U.S. Government or a contractor for any of the foregoing
  • Aerospace operations
  • Military operations and personnel
  • Defense suppliers
  • Law enforcement
  • Fire prevention and response
  • Building code enforcement
  • Security
  • Emergency management and response
  • Building cleaners or janitors
  • General maintenance whether employed by the entity directly or a vendor
  • Automotive repair
  • Disinfection
  • Snow removal
  • Logistics
  • Technology support for online and telephone services
  • Child care programs and services
  • Government owned or leased buildings
  • Critical Government Functions