STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — The Routt County Board of Commissioners passed a new public health order Monday, hoping to stave off more COVID-19 cases that could require even harsher restrictions locally.
The new order, which will be in effect until March 1 unless commissioners change it before then, requires restaurants to take additional mitigation measures, lowers capacity limits in offices and limits any social gatherings to just one residence.
It also includes language that requires short-term rentals to be limited to people from just one residence, potentially affecting reservations currently on the books for some businesses.
The new order is in response to the most severe surge in cases the county has ever seen, a spike seen in several other resort communities in the state, but one that bucks the trend in Front Range communities where cases have been declining.