Story at a glance
- A Denver man becomes the first city resident to be cited for breaking the stay-at-home order.
- This comes as multiple states develop plans to begin reopening.
A Denver man who made local headlines for refusing to stop playing football at the city’s public Washington Park became the first resident to receive a citation for violating the city’s stay-at-home mandate.
Local outlet The Denverite reports that a park ranger cited that man on May 1, a week before the order was set to expire. City spokesperson Cyndi Karvaski told reporters via email that the man faces a fine of up to $999.
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“He was playing football with another person and refused to stop,” Karvaski said. “This was not a park rules citation but a citation in violation of the order.”
Denver’s stay-at-home order went into effect on March 24, and it specifically prohibited people from playing group sports at city parks.
May 8 marks the final day Denver County residents will remain under the stay-at-home order. Colorado has adopted a phased approach to social restriction, with the first phase mandating everyone stay at home except in regards to grocery shopping, exercising and activities deemed necessary by public officials.
The second phase, dubbed “safer at home,” begins Saturday. It encourages everyone to stay at home but allows both critical and noncritical businesses to operate with restrictions, according to the state’s department of public health.
Several states are beginning the process of reopening amid widespread economic downturns, though an infectious disease epidemiologist testified before Congress this week that no states have fully met public health criteria to safely reopen.
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