Denver Stay-at-Home Order

By Brooke Colaizzi and Elizabeth Chilcoat

The City and County of Denver, City of Boulder, and Pitkin County have joined San Miguel County in issuing orders requiring residents to stay at home. All four stay-at-home orders drastically limit access to childcare for employees. The Pitkin County Order prohibits home-based care for children and daycare and childcare centers that have no more than 10 people present to continue, but it will close most daycare and childcare centers. The San Miguel County Order permits home-based childcare but generally prohibits other types of childcare services from continuing to operate. Denver’s and Boulder’s Orders will prevent many nannies and babysitters from providing care. Those orders permit nannies and babysitters from providing childcare unless one of three conditions is met: (1) the nanny cares for a sick child, (2) the nanny lives with the family, or (3) the nanny provides care so that an employee of an essential business can go to work or so that an employee can perform an essential government function. Similarly, in-home daycare may only serve the children of employees exempted from the stay-at-home orders.

Lists of individuals exempted from these stay-at-home orders generally include health care workers, grocery store employees, plumbers and electricians (with limitations), and employees of the news media, gas stations, and professional services (e.g., tax preparation, legal services). With that said, the precise description of exempt businesses and services differs from order to order. The full text of the current orders, including complete lists of employees who are exempt from the requirement to stay at home, are available following the links below:

Read a full summary of the Denver stay-at-home order here.