A federal judge has ordered a guest ranch to remove a locked gate on Garfield County Road 200 outside De Beque after agreeing with the county that it is a public road, a decision that improves public access to tens of thousands of acres of federal land.
Judge R. Brooke Jackson with the U.S. District Court of Colorado has sided with Garfield County in its effort to get the High Lonesome Ranch to unlock the gate on the road, also called North Dry Fork Road, about 20 miles northwest of De Beque. He ruled that road, and Middle Dry Fork Road, also accessed beyond the locked gate, are public roads.
Garfield County commissioners passed a resolution Wednesday they say allows businesses to operate at levels in place before the state moved the county to level red restrictions last week.
That includes restaurants, which, per the county policy, may resume indoor dining services at 50% capacity, if they choose.
Businesses choosing to follow the county resolution
, rather than state public health orders, must post signs provided by Garfield County Public Health stating as such, the resolution specifies. They must also follow the usual COVID-19 public health precautions including wearing masks and social distancing.
The resolution takes effect immediately, commissioners said.
Businesses that decide to follow the county resolution are advised, however, that they aren’t exempt from potential state enforcement of the level-red restrictions. But County Attorney Tari Williams said that’s not likely without the state first consulting with county officials.
Glenwood Springs Post Independent
Garfield County commissioners intend to designate restaurants, small retail businesses and gyms as “critical,” in hopes of allowing leeway for them to continue operating at the current levels even under the state’s new Level Red COVID-19 designation for the county.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Wednesday advised the county it was being moved to the “Severe Risk,” or Red level on the state dial due to the recent surge in new coronavirus cases and a worrisome trend in new deaths and hospitalizations.
“This … will require the county to implement restrictions across all sectors as defined by the state in its metrics dial,” CDPHE Executive Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan wrote in a letter to the commissioners, Public Health Director Yvonne Long and County Manager Kevin Batchelder.
Garfield County commissioners intend to designate restaurants, small retail businesses and gyms as “critical,” in hopes of allowing leeway for them to continue operating at the current levels even under the state’s new Level Red COVID-19 designation for the county.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Wednesday advised the county it was being moved to the “Severe Risk,” or Red level on the state dial due to the recent surge in new coronavirus cases and a worrisome trend in new deaths and hospitalizations.
“This … will require the county to implement restrictions across all sectors as defined by the state in its metrics dial,” CDPHE Executive Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan wrote in a letter to the commissioners, Public Health Director Yvonne Long and County Manager Kevin Batchelder.