Boulder County Public Health is investigating a weekend party at The Riverside, which one co-host said 50 people attended.
Boulder Realtor Alex Jacobson told the Daily Camera it was a masquerade party.
“We were celebrating our freedom to be able to get together safely,” he said. “Temperatures were checked at the door, masks were required, and the event was hosted outside. We are taking the concerns of the community very seriously.”
A video posted to Jacobson’s Instagram story and then later shared to Reddit shows party-goers dancing and mingling, some wearing masks, both indoors and outdoors at the venue on Broadway in Boulder.
The health department is looking into the party, said spokeswoman Chana Goussetis.
“Our response team is still investigating, so no decisions about next steps have been decided as yet,” she said in an email Tuesday afternoon.
Jacobson said the Saturday party was invite-only, and guests were capped at 50. Every guest was an acquaintance, he said.
The Riverside had a “very strict policy … people needed to be masked, and the number of attendees had to be 50,” Jacobson said.
Representatives of The Riverside could not be reached for comment by deadline for publication.
Jacobson said he did his best to monitor mask-wearing at the party.
“I think the event was an opportunity for people to get together safely. Unfortunately, some people at the event weren’t as cautious as they should have been,” he said. “People went knowing there were safety measures in place.”
Under Colorado’s current Safer at Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors protocols, public and private gatherings are to be limited to no more than 10 individuals, excluding necessary activities.
Goussetis said large gatherings are a concern to the health department.
“They have the potential to spread the virus throughout the community, and particularly to those who are at higher risk for serious complications from the illness,” she said. “And, as we know from the beginning of the pandemic response, the more people who become ill, the more hospitalization that may be needed, which can overwhelm our medical system.
“In addition, our ability to ease restrictions for individuals and businesses in the county is completely related to the incidence of the disease, so if we are not diligent in minimizing the spread, it can further harm our economy and stop progress toward in-person learning in our schools.”
Boulder County on Tuesday reported 20 coronavirus cases, following four cases reported Monday and 65 reported Sunday.
The health department warned of an increase in cases over the Labor Day weekend, citing a 64% increase in the average of five-day rolling cases per day following the July 4 holiday.
