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DENVER (KDVR) — Mayor Michael Hancock and health officials announced Monday they will let the indoor mask mandate expire this week.

They said the decision was data-driven, but that each business has the option to require masks or not.

“Omicron has run out of fuel within our community,” said Bob McDonald, executive director of the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment. “It’s safe now to lift our face coverings.”

“I’m about as tired of masks as most people I’ve talked to, but I expect there to be times where I will throw my mask on because just a sense of comfort until we feel like we’re fully out of this,” Hancock said.

Sean Harshbarger at Parlor Doughnuts said they’re still going to play it safe. 

“I kind of was a little surprised with the way things are going that it is being lifted,” Harshbarger said. “I’m going to keep my employees for the time being wearing masks. It helps keep them feel safe, it helps customers feel safe when they walk in the door and see everybody that’s given them food and drinks is wearing masks.”

As far as customers go, Harshbarger said he’ll probably recommend they keep theirs on too.

“This was kind of sprung on me. So I don’t know if I’m just gonna lay down the law and say, ‘You have to have a mask in here.’ I’ll think about it for the next day or two,” Harshbarger said.

Over at Taco Bar, formerly Taco, Tequila, Whiskey, they are thrilled.

“We are not going to require people to wear masks,” Tori Mateer said. It has been very, very challenging the past few years trying to enforce that. It’s a little bit of a relief to not have to enforce that moving forward.”

Like many businesses, when enforcing the mask mandate at Taco Bar and Parlor Doughnuts, each had some confrontations.

“We get [confrontation] weekly. I am so grateful for our staff. They’ve handled it so well but it’s exhausting,” Mateer said. 

The masking requirement still applies to RTD and the airport, per federal directives.  

Some businesses opted to require vaccines in order to enter businesses. The spokesperson for Bonanno concepts, which runs places like Denver Milk Market, said their “vaccine policy was in place before Mayor Hancock’s latest order and it will stay in place after it expires.”

The mayor clarified that “if there was a major spike that threatens the public health of our residents, then we will make decisions accordingly.”