COVID-19 first arrived in Mesa County exactly one year ago today.
Over those 365 days, Mesa County has seen more than 150 people die after testing positive for the coronavirus.
However, as Mesa County enters its second year living with the virus, vaccines are outpacing total infections, hospitalizations have plummeted and events that were totally shut down last year are readying to return.
On the occasion of Mesa County completing a full trip around the sun with COVID-19, The Daily Sentinel spoke with area officials on what they remember from the past year, and what they see going forward. Those stories can be found throughout todayâs edition.
Britany Miller starts her day at the Collbran Cafe at 7:30 a.m. and does just about everything.
She is in the kitchen working the breakfast and lunch shifts, then helps in the front of the restaurant until 3:30 or 4 p.m. Sheâs usually done in time to pick her kids up from school.
Though the town she serves has a fraction of the population of Grand Junction, she had just as big of a need for the five-star certification from the Mesa County Variance Protection Program.
Going to pickup-only in the spring hurt business for the Collbran Cafe on Main Street. When Mesa County moved to level âRedâ on the stateâs COVID-19 dial in November, a closed dining room suddenly became a reality again.
The committee will certify those businesses that qualify for the state s 5-star rating program. Hopefully it will be an online process where they will file an application and file their safety plan, Pueblo Mayor Nick Gradisar said during a press conference held Tuesday outside the Pueblo County Courthouse. We ve worked on a template for them to prepare a safety plan to say, these are the things we are going to do to make sure that it is as safe as it possibly can (be) for inside activities at that particular business.
Mesa County developed the Variance Protection Program, also known as the 5-star rating program, to recognize establishments implementing public health recommendations related to COVID-19 and reward them by allowing a more robust opening than what their current level on the state s COVID-19 dial permits.
Gov. Jared Polis thanked Mesa County on Friday for starting its unique program to help keep businesses open while a pandemic rages around them.
Started over the summer, the countyâs Variance Protection Program, also known as Five Star, has allowed businesses, including restaurants, to operate under a COVID-19 pandemic alert level lower than where counties are rated.
As a result, the first restaurants and other businesses outside of Mesa County that will operate under a new statewide version of the program will be in Summit County starting this weekend.
Larimer County is expected to be approved as the second county early next week.
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