Denver mask mandate likely coming next week, Mayor Hancock says

Mayor Michael Hancock said Thursday he expects to issue a mandate next week requiring Denver residents to wear face masks in public.

Hancock told Denver7 that he expects to have a detailed news conference sometime next week to “lay out the new landscape for Denver” and that he expects to announce the mask mandate at that time.

Hancock has previously said his office was working on a potential mask mandate. Last week he said he asked the public health department and city attorney’s office to draft an order requiring people to wear masks, as nearby Wheat Ridge has done at essential businesses. He said he expected an order to be issued sometime soon. Meanwhile, he said people in Denver should wear a mask or face covering if they are outside anywhere.

Denver extended its stay-at-home order through May 8, next Friday, though Hancock said the order is not expected to be extended beyond that.