Photo by Taylor Sienkiewicz / tsienkiewicz@summitdaily.com
Summit County’s 5 Star Business Certification Program allowed 134 restaurants to open to indoor dining over the weekend.
The program allows restaurants to reopen to in-person dining at 25% capacity or 50 people, whichever is fewer, despite the county being in level red on the state’s COVID-19 dial. The catch is that restaurants have to comply with more stringent regulations than those required for in-person dining in level orange, including spacing tables and parties at least 10 feet apart, screening customers and employees for symptoms, and gathering contact information to help with contact tracing.
If Summit County eventually moves into level orange, businesses in the five-star program can operate at capacities associated with level yellow.
130-plus restaurants to reopen indoor dining in Colorado county despite level red restrictions outtherecolorado.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from outtherecolorado.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Summit County Public Health Department is investigating an outbreak of at least 16 cases among sales team members and contracted workers at Breckenridge Grand Vacations.
According to a news release, the department began investigating the outbreak Nov. 25 after receiving several positive test results from employees, all of whom were tested between Nov. 18 and Dec. 1.
While company management had implemented rules for the sales office requiring masks, symptom checks and disinfecting some employees were disregarding those rules, according to the news release.
4. Vail Resorts cancels some guest reservations at Breckenridge
Additional capacity restrictions and limited open terrain are causing headaches at ski areas across Summit County, leading to canceled reservations at Breckenridge Ski Resort last weekend.
Diners peruse the menu at Modis while seated in the restaurant s outdoor dining area. The restaurant has added heaters and a tent to keep customers warm while indoor dining is not allowed. The new five star program will allow indoor dining for restaurants that qualify.
Summit County restaurants are now able to apply for the 5 Star Business Certification Program, allowing them to open with less restrictive capacity measures than are currently allowed in level red.
Although the program was included in Summit County’s amended public health order, which will go into effect Saturday, Dec. 19, the county is still in the process of applying for a variance to implement the program locally.
A sign on the door of Downstairs at Eric s on Dec. 4 in Breckenridge informs customers that the restaurant is closed for indoor dining. After initially expressing hesitation, Summit County officials are considering implementing the state’s Five Star Program to allow restaurants to open at 25% capacity indoors.
Summit County won’t be moving out of level red restrictions for the foreseeable future.
At a Summit County Board of Health meeting Tuesday, Dec. 15, County Manager Scott Vargo said the county’s current public health order, which places it in level red, will extend past Friday, Dec. 18 its current expiration date. When the county initially moved into level red, state officials said it would be able to move into level orange once the county showed a two-week decline in its incidence rate.