Photo by Libby Stanford / Summit Daily archives
Breckenridge’s mandatory mask zone is officially a thing of the past. The Breckenridge Town Council unanimously approved an emergency ordinance on Tuesday, April 27, that loosens mask requirements in town.
The newly approved mask ordinance in Breckenridge requires people to comply with any local, state or federal mask orders. The new ordinance repeals a 2020 ordinance that created a mandatory mask zone in Breckenridge, which required everyone in the core of town to wear a mask at all times inside or outside.
“As we appear to be transitioning to lesser face-covering requirements, it is important to have an ordinance that spells out compliance with whatever the current orders are at the time,” Town Manager Rick Holman explained in his memo to council.
Photo by Tripp Fay
Spring break meant high occupancy levels for the Breckenridge lodging industry this year, with bookings up 6% over the period compared to 2019. While private security was hired by Breckenridge to enforce public health orders, lodging companies didn’t report trouble when it came to visitors respecting town, county and state rules.
Bill Wishowski, director of operations at the Breckenridge Tourism Office, reported in an email that average occupancy in town reached 78% between March 6 and April 3, with a peak of 89% on March 18. During the peak spring break week from March 12 to March 20, average occupancy was at 85%.
Breckenridge placed private security guards on Main Street from mid-March through the beginning of April to enforce public health orders and town ordinances, including mask-wearing in the town’s mandatory mask zone. The idea was to support front-line workers from visitors who may be disgruntled over local COVID-19 restrictions.
When the COVID-19 shutdown hit in March, fears of permanent small business closures in Summit County abounded. However, in Silverthorne and Dillon, more businesses have opened than closed since March of last year.
In Silverthorne, 28 new businesses have opened since March 1, 2020, and 13 have closed, according to town records. The lists of opened and closed businesses are based on the number of business licenses the town has issued and the number of business license accounts it has closed. Of the new businesses, there were several brick-and-mortar stores, including Just Send It, a packing and shipping store, Windy City Pizza, and Gore Range Sports.
Breckenridge is considering bringing back Walkable Main, the pedestrian-only Main Street concept that popped up last summer, and is surveying residents and business owners to get their feedback. Some Breckenridge business owners are eager to.