Public health officials investigating COVID-19 outbreak among Dillon Ice Castles employees
Three staff members who worked on the construction of the ice castles tested positive for the novel coronavirus, said county health department. Author: Vail Daily Staff Updated: 9:31 PM MST December 24, 2020
DILLON, Colo. Summit County Public Health officials are currently investigating a COVID-19 outbreak among employees at the Dillon Ice Castles.
Three staff members who worked on the construction of the Dillon Ice Castles have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to Steve Prosise, branch chief of surveillance for the Summit County Public Health Department. Prosise noted that the individuals are currently quarantining in isolation, and that there isn’t believed to be any additional risk to individuals who have visited the attraction.
Photo by Liz Copan / Studio Copan
Summit County Public Health officials are currently investigating a COVID-19 outbreak among employees at the Dillon Ice Castles.
Three staff members who worked on the construction of the Dillon Ice Castles have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to Steve Prosise, branch chief of surveillance for the Summit County Public Health Department. Prosise noted that the individuals are currently quarantining in isolation, and that there isn’t believed to be any additional risk to individuals who have visited the attraction.
“It is an ongoing investigation, so we are still contract tracing as we are identifying other close contacts on the staff,” Prosise said. “… I believe this transmission was among staff at employee housing. I don’t believe there is a concern at this time with the public.”
Skiers and riders are seen waiting in line on opening day Nov. 6 at Keystone Resort. Keystone and Breckenridge Ski Resort officials recently asked the county to eliminate their capacity limits. County officials declined but said they would revisit the issue.
Photo by Liz Copan / Studio Copan
On Tuesday morning, Vail Resorts properties in Summit County, including Breckenridge Ski Resort and Keystone Resort, posted on social media that they had submitted a request to the Summit County Public Health Department to remove capacity restrictions at ski areas.
The social media posts indicated that the reduced capacities mandated by Summit County government restrict the resorts more than their state-approved winter operating plans.
As of 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 18, 130 local restaurants had applied for Summit County’s 5 Star Business Certification Program.
The county received its approval Friday from the state for its variance request to implement the program. According to a news release, restaurants that are approved for the program can open immediately.
Although the county has not yet released a complete list of certified restaurants, some restaurants have posted about their approval. Dillon Dam Brewery posted on Facebook that it will be opening indoor dining at 4 p.m. Friday. Timberline Craft Kitchen & Cocktails in Silverthorne and Outer Range Brewing Co. in Frisco posted that they received their approval, as well.
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.