Colorado restaurants can reopen dining rooms and readers respond to the governor’s decision

At the end of December 30, Governor Jared Polis announced on social media that on Monday, January 4, all counties in the state currently at the Red Level at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the COVID panel dial. will be moved to the Orange Level. He credited the improvement of COVID-19 statistics in the state for making the change possible.

As a result, many companies will see regulations relaxed this week. Restaurants, for example, will be able to resume meals indoors – with 25% capacity or a maximum of fifty customers. But, even so, it is a big change in relation to the Level Red closed cafeterias, especially since it is associated with the last call coming back at 10pm.

But in your Westword Facebook comments on our post about the Polis move, some readers are not raising a glass Says Jeffrey:

I see that we’re using the “pretend it doesn’t exist” option right now.

Michael replies:

Stay home if you are so scared. We adults are going to be adults.

Adds Sara:

Definitely, restaurants should be able to reopen. The only thing that closed them down was to push people to private meetings and places like Walmart. Let them make a living.

Emily Answers:

Nobody is drinking, eating, putting forks in COVID’s den, spending hours breathing the same air and making new friends at Walmart …

Doug Counters:

Leave them all open. If the owners want to impose limits, it is their prerogative. There are no more blocks. There are no more mandates for face diapers. Ever!

Adds Sarah:

We need to open. We’ve already lost a lot of business.

Nick answers:

I think the plan is to lose fewer people, not business.

And the conversation changes, thanks to this from Bill:

Have you noticed how many windsocks complain about Polis and COVID-45? They are not the restaurant’s customers. They are flies. They don’t own restaurants, per se. They sell food for delivery. It is the liquor that has such a high margin. Whining babies and bar owners whining. IF they don’t like it, get out!

Constance Answers:

Obviously, you don’t know any entrepreneur or anything about business in general.

Ben concludes:

Bíll is someone who obviously never scored at the bar.

Polis’ announcement took many health workers and restaurant owners by surprise; under the recently introduced 5 Star State Certification Program, counties have been working to reduce the number. In the metropolitan area, Arapahoe, Douglas and Broomfield counties had already been approved for the program (in fact, some restaurants in Douglas County had already reopened restaurant cafeterias); Denver has just submitted its application at the end of the year.

According to a hasty clarification from the Colorado Restaurant Association that ended 2020, 5-star certified restaurants will not be able to make a double move on the dial – from Orange Level to Yellow Level in Douglas County, for example.

But in these uncertain times, only one thing is certain: diners can raise a glass for the restaurant industry that works hard in this state, and they should – whether in takeout or in a reopened cafeteria.

See our list of all the restaurants and bars that opened and closed in 2020 here.