The shift Monday to the less restrictive orange status on the state COVID-19 dial dashboard means restaurants can again welcome diners and gyms and fitness centers can now open their doors for more workout enthusiasts. But the change also has Boulder County health officials on edge as they wait to see if the Christmas and New Year’s holidays will lead to a surge in cases in the coming weeks.
Several Front Range counties — including Boulder — were moved Monday from the more serious Level Red to Level Orange at the request of Gov. Jard Polis. Polis said he was encouraged by declining COVID-19 numbers, which prompted the move.
Jeff Zayach, Boulder County Public Health executive director, in a news release Monday stated the county will comply with the governor’s request, but the move comes with some hesitation.
“We have some concerns about this move because we don’t yet know what the outcome of the holidays will be in terms of spread and new cases,” Zayach stated. “But we will follow the state’s move and will not put a local health order in place. Hopefully, we all only have been spending time with our own household and we won’t experience another surge in a week or two.”
The move to orange on the dial means an easing of tighter restrictions put in place in November when Boulder County moved to the newly created red status. Chief among them is restaurants again being able to offer dine-in options. While the county was in red status takeout and curbside delivery were the only services they were allowed to provide.
In the orange status, restaurants can offer dine-in service at 25% capacity or up to 25 people per room, according to the Boulder County Public Health news release. Masks and at least 6 feet of social distance are required.
The move back to orange, however, didn’t come in time for at least one local brewpub to stay open this winter, while another is taking a wait-and-see approach as the change takes effect.
Mountain Sun Pubs — which owns Long Peak Pub in Longmont — posted on Facebook Monday that its locations will close for the winter and hopefully reopen in the spring.
“We are so grateful for everyone who has supported us through this challenging time, and we will miss each and every one of you,” the post stated. “Follow us on social media for possible patio pop-ups and reopening information.”
Longmont’s Pumphouse Brewery in a Facebook post on Saturday said it will remain closed until further notice, even given Polis’ announcement.
“We’re going to pause reopening until we have more clarity & confidence regarding our ability to remain open for indoor seating beyond a week or two. At this point, there’s more questions than answers as to any upcoming adjustments to what will define Orange vs. Red, and we simply can’t afford a third shutdown,” the post states. “We’ll continue to closely monitor the virus data & and we’ll continue to look for answers regarding what our government officials have in mind for the near-and-long-term future of our industry.”
The business indicated it might be open sometime between Jan. 15 and Feb. 2 if “everything falls into place.”
The move back to orange status also allows gyms, recreation facilities and pools to operate at 25% capacity not to exceed 25 people. Higher education institutions can operate at 25% of posted occupancy not to exceed 50 people per room, excluding staff.
Orange on the dial also means offices can operate at 25% of capacity and retail stores can operate at 50% capacity, according to the state guidelines. Indoor event and entertainment venues can operate at 25% of capacity or up to 50 people for indoor events and up to 75 for outdoor events.
All of those guidelines require facial coverings be worn indoors and that 6 feet of social distance be maintained between people from separate households.
Indoor and outdoor personal gatherings for up to 10 people from a maximum of two households also are allowed.
Adult and youth sports leagues are still not allowed, and bars remain closed.
COVID data
For more information on Boulder County COVID cases, deaths, hospitalizations and trends, click here.
