Coronavirus (COVID-19) Local News

Slower sales combined with the exhaustion of Paycheck Protection Program loan funds prompted the closure. 

Financial support for Supporting Action for Mental Health — also known as SAM —  has dried up just as the organization embarked on an effort to tap community groups and businesses to help fight suicide, said project coordinator John Kellow.

The closures will begin later this month and extend to September. City officials said if the closures are not bringing more foot traffic into shops and restaurants after 30 days, they can pull traffic-control barricades and return Main Street to normal.

Under the new modifications, which Polis said will go into effect in the next 48 hours, bars will be closed for in-person service. But those with dining options can continue to serve customers and sell takeout alcohol.

As of now, students in grades preschool through fifth, sixth and ninth grades will return to full time, in-person instruction. Seventh- and eighth-grade students and 10th- through 12th-grade students will return to a combination of in-person and real-time online learning. A final plan for fall classes will not be decided until mid-July.

​​​​​​​Local businesses are again welcoming customers after such a long stint of staying at home and some have reached out to say they are open. Below is an alphabetical list of those that have, along with guidelines they provided for their reopenings. To have your business added to this list, which will be updated regularly, email details to [email protected].

Some worry move will kill already struggling businesses, while others see it as a way to breathe life back into downtown in the wake of coronavirus impacts.

“We know it’s unpleasant to wear a face covering. None of us are excited to wear them. But it’s a small inconvenience that can save lives and our economy.”

With the return to five-day delivery, Meals on Wheels is ramping up kitchen service and putting out a call for more volunteer drivers.

A month after reopening for dine-in service, restaurants have a better idea of what it’s like to operate in a world with COVID-19. At least two things are clear: their challenges aren’t over, and relationships with customers and the Longmont community are more important than ever.