Boulder County on Wednesday imposed a sweeping order for a shutdown affecting a broad swath of public life in order to minimize ongoing community spread of the new coronavirus.

Late in the day, Gov. Jared Polis ordered most of the state’s 5.8 million residents to stay at home to mitigate further spread of the deadly pandemic that, for the short-term at least, has reshaped, American life.

I’ve announced an emergency, temporary Stay at Home Order for Colorado starting Thursday, March 26. #COVID19Colorado pic.twitter.com/PifPmbaVnc — Governor Jared Polis (@GovofCO) March 25, 2020

Boulder County’s historic directive came as the number of the county’s residents confirmed positive for COVID-19 jumped to 61, from 47. Also Wednesday, the number of those reported dead from the illness leaped from 11 to 19 — although state health officials’ numbers only included data available through Tuesday.

None of the reported dead to date have been Boulder County residents.

The county’s order, fashioned in coordination with Jefferson County Public Health and Tri-County Health Department, which serves Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas Counties is to take effect at 8 a.m. Thursday. The joint order affects roughly two million people.

Boulder County Public Health spokesperson Chana Goussetis said that on any points where there are disparities between the counties’ order and that of the state, the more stringent terms would apply.

“Scientific evidence shows that we must act now, at this stage of the COVID-19 emergency, in order to save lives in the long-run,” Jeff Zayach, Boulder County Public Health executive director, said in a statement.

“It will give us the time we need to test comprehensively and to slow the spread of the virus to prevent our health care system from being overwhelmed.”

The order requires all people anywhere in Boulder County to stay at home — also known as shelter in place — except for certain defined essential activities, work and services. It’s to remain in place until 11:59 p.m. April 17, unless officials determine it’s in the interest of public health to expire earlier. The state order expires April 11.

The new order encompassing Boulder County came a day after a similar measure went into effect in Denver and in Boulder. Now, a significant portion of Colorado residents soon will be carrying out their lives under some form of stay-at-home order. Boulder announced Wednesday that the county’s stay at home order will replace the city’s directive.

“There is widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the Metro Denver area, and we must take bold actions to stop the spread of this virus,” Dr. John M. Douglas executive director of Tri-County Health Department, said in a statement. “With each passing day, we run a growing risk of greater transmission and illness and quickly overwhelming our hospitals, which are really a resource for our entire region and state. When this happens, not everyone may get the care they need. It’s a real possibility in Colorado — and a situation which has already occurred in countries such as Italy — and which is threatening to happen in major U.S. cities in other areas of our country.

“We understand the toll that measures to address the pandemic are having on our communities, and we want to reassure residents that this step is temporary, and a critical one to get us closer to recovery.”

The roll out of the Boulder County order was not smooth. It was posted shortly after 8 a.m. Wednesday on the Boulder County Public Health website — at which point certain discrepancies between counties was discovered, and the department cautioned against dissemination of what was not yet considered a finalized order. It was eventually finalized after 9 a.m.

Boulder County now has 61 residents confirmed positive for COVID-19, according to Goussetis. That marked a significant one-day spike from the 47 reported late Tuesday.

Public Health’s statement on its website stated that the order “is issued based on evidence of increasing occurrence of COVID-19 within Boulder County, scientific evidence and best practices about the most effective approaches to slow the transmission of communicable diseases generally and COVID-19 specifically, and evidence that the age, condition, and health of a significant portion of the population of Boulder County places it at risk for serious health complications, including death, from COVID-19.”

The order dictated that businesses with a facility in Boulder County, except for those defined as “essential businesses,” must cease all activities at facilities located within the county, except for any “minimum basic operations,” as defined in the order.

Sheriff hopes enforcement not necessary

Boulder County Sheriff Joseph Pelle, who considers himself in the “at-risk category with a lot of older Americans,” is working remotely from his home northeast of Longmont.

Pelle said he has no knowledge of a similar order ever being issued in the county’s history, and that a 150-year history of the department compiled in 2011 reflected nothing like it. However, a 2006 history column in the Camera about the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic by Silvia Pettem reported that by Oct. 6 of that year “so many Boulder residents were sick that city officials established a public quarantine. Two days later, the virus reached its peak with 649 cases.”

“I understand completely what they’re trying to do,” Pelle said. “They’re trying to keep our health system from being overwhelmed, and I appreciate that this is not going to eliminate the virus. But hopefully it will save lives and keep the tide away from swamping our health system.”

Pelle disclosed that one of his own deputies is among those in the county confirmed positive for COVID-19, and that that woman had been sent home after her diagnosis, has recovered, and is expected to return to work Thursday.

Two additional sheriff’s employees are at home with the presumption that they have the flu or COVID-19, but were unable to get tested, according to Pelle.

“We’ve got about a half a dozen people or more out on isolation, because they’re at risk or they may have been exposed,” Pelle said.

The Boulder County Jail population, he said, has been reduced from 480 inmates to under 300, freeing up one module for those who show signs of illness.

As for enforcement of the new county order, Pelle said, “We hope we don’t have to enforce it. It’s our hope that people understand the need for it, and respect their friends and families and neighbors enough to abide by that.

“I don’t see us being out in the community, out in parks enforcing this, writing tickets, that kind of thing. I don’t see that at all. I do see our folks educating people and trying to get cooperation.”

Businesses found to be in noncompliance, he said, would likely earn a citation. A shutdown order for such a business, he said, would come from the county public health department.

Pelle said the sheriff’s department is poised to go to 12-hour, seven day staffing plans, if circumstances dictate its necessity

Stay home order has many exemptions

Under the stay at home order, businesses may continue operations where their employees, contractors and volunteers work remotely or from home. Essential businesses are asked to remain open, but must comply with social distancing requirements of maintaining a six-foot distance from others, including employees and members of the public — for example, customers standing in line.

Essential businesses are encouraged to consider delivery, drive-thru, and pick up options to minimize exposure between individuals. As for restaurants, for one example, it exempts “Licensed restaurants and other facilities that prepare and serve food, but only for delivery, take out or drive thru as specified in the CDPHE Public Health Order No. 20-22, as amended and updated.”

As is the case with the initial order from the city of Boulder, many other categories of businesses are also exempted from its constraints, based on their being deemed “essential.” The county order lists no fewer than 25. Grocery, gun and liquor stores, stores that sell cleaning supplies or other products essential to running a household, and marijuana dispensaries are among those exemptions, as are businesses that provide food, shelter and other necessities to the disadvantaged.

The most recent available statewide numbers for positive COVID-19 tests shows 1,086 cases, with 147 people hospitalized across 36 counties. A total of 8,064 people have been tested.

CDPHE also reports outbreaks at nine residential facilities or non-hospital health care facilities. None of those are in Boulder County.

“There have been some clusters of respiratory illness in a few long-term care facilities, which is very normal for this time of year,” Goussetis said. “Specimens from residents sent for COVID-19 testing so far have not tested positive for the disease. Some tests are still pending.”