Following the governor’s order regarding reducing the workforce by 50% in an attempt to slow the spread of Coronavirus, Mayor Hancock has now issued a stay-at-home order for City and County of Denver. Takes effect at 5 PM on March 24 and is in effect until April 10.

The order requires that all people in the City & County of Denver stay home and businesses implement work from home policies and delivery of goods to the greatest extent possible.

UPDATE (March 24): the order has been amended. See quote below regarding the amendments to the order. Visit the City/County website for the latest information.

The Order (below) has been updated with the following changes:

• Liquor stores with extreme physical distancing in place will be exempt.
• All marijuana stores with extreme physical distancing in place will be exempt.

All construction operations and projects will be exempt.

Read the announcement about the order.

Read the full text of the mayor’s order. We are still investigating and receiving feedback about what is specifically essential and non-essential for businesses to operate, particularly as it pertains to the landscape and green industry. We call your attention to the following items under Essential Infrastructure:

• Construction of housing and housing of affordable housing or housing for individuals experiencing homelessness (Section 6.c.iv)
• Government construction for public infrastructure and facilities (Section 6.c.v)
• Construction necessary to support or maintain the operation of any Essential Business (Section 6.c.vi)
• Other related firms and professionals who provide services necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences (Section 6.c.viii)

Also, note the following under Essential Businesses:

• Grocery stores, certified farmers markets, farm and produce stands, supermarkets, food banks, convenience stores, and other establishments engaged in the retail sale of canned food, dry goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, pet supply, fresh meats, fish, and poultry, and any other household consumer products (such as cleaning and personal care products). This includes stores that sell groceries and also sell other non-grocery products, and products necessary to maintaining the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences (Section 6.f.ii)

• Food and plant cultivation (Section 6.f.iii)

• Hardware stores (Section 6.f.viii)

• Businesses that supply other essential businesses with the supporter supplies necessary to operate (Section 6.f.xv)

• Residential establishments and facilities, including hotels, motels, and shelters for seniors, adults, and children (Section 6.f.xxi)  Please note that in section 6.i, the order states that “For purposes of this Order, residences include hotels, motels, shared rental units, and similar facilities.”

In talking with our members and many of our GreenCO partners, we maintain that we are an essential service, and many of our operators are moving forward with work in Denver unless they hear otherwise. It is important to educate your workforce that if they are approached on the job in Denver, that the should immediately communicate that they fall under essential services. While there is no legal document available to support this, we recommend that you equip them with talking points related to this matter.

As a reminder, while we can offer guidance, businesses must make the determination for themselves and communicate carefully with employees and customers.

We will continue to monitor the situation and update you as quickly as possible. For additional information in the rapidly changing environment, follow our blog and visit www.alcc.com/covid for information resources. We also encourage you to register for our webinar, Navigating COVID-19 – an ALCC member discussion, on Wednesday, March 25 at 11:00 AM.

We will continue to share the latest information on navigating the COVID-19 outbreak on our blog or by visiting www.alcc.com/covid.

Follow the latest news on our blog.

Share your ideas, resources, etc. with landscape industry peers at [email protected].