The City and County of Denver issued an Order on August 2, 2021, requiring personnel of the following entities, or types of entities, to be fully vaccinated by September 30, 2021:
- the City and County of Denver;
- care facilities;
- hospitals;
- clinical settings;
- limited healthcare settings;
- shelters for people experiencing homelessness, including day and overnight shelters;
- correctional facilities, including jails, detention centers and community corrections sites and residences;
- schools, including post-secondary and higher education;
- childcare centers and services;
- any entity providing home care to patients; and
- any entity providing first responder services.
The Order requires the entities or types of entities listed above to ensure that all personnel are fully vaccinated by September 30, 2021, and to ensure that all personnel hired thereafter are vaccinated. The Order defines “Personnel” to mean employees of the entities or types of entities listed above, as well as individuals who provide services or on behalf of the entities or types of entities listed above on a contractual or volunteer basis. The Order recognizes that employers shall provide reasonable accommodations for any personnel who have medical or religious exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccination. Under the Order, “Fully vaccinated” means two weeks after a person’s second dose in a two-dose series and two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, so the timeline for compliance with the Order is compressed. To comply with the Order, any personnel of the types of entities listed above would need to have their last dose of vaccine on or before September 16, 2021. Further, listed entities are required to keep records and demonstrate compliance by completion of an initial ascertainment of full vaccination status for all personnel by September 30, 2021, and maintain corresponding records available to the health authority upon request until the Order is rescinded, superseded, or amended by the Executive Director of the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment. The Order can be accessed here.