Denver to begin certifying businesses under 5 Star program this week
The goal is to give the local economy a boost by allowing businesses to expand their operational capacity. Author: Nate Lynn Updated: 7:55 PM MST February 4, 2021
DENVER Denver s economy will soon get a shot in the arm, as local businesses near approval under the city s 5 Star Certification Program.
The City and County of Denver has received the go-ahead from the state to begin certifying businesses, according to a release from the city.
The 5 Star Certification Program encourages businesses to implement safety measures beyond what is already required by public health orders and guidelines, the release said, with the goal of giving the local economy a boost by allowing them to expand their operational capacity.
Colorado changes COVID-19 dial for public health orders
By PATTY NIEBERGFebruary 5, 2021 GMT
DENVER (AP) Colorado will use an updated COVID-19 dial which allows counties to move between public health restriction levels more swiftly, officials said Friday.
“When disease transmission is low, there’s ample hospital capacity, we can sustain a lot greater degree of ability to engage in closer one-on-one interactions in the final months of the pandemic,” Gov. Jared Polis said.
The state’s amended dial which dictates county-wide restrictions on businesses and gatherings based on new cases and hospitalizations will go into effect at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Denverite, the Denver site! The city will reactivate its emergency operations center to streamline access to vaccines
Businesses will also be able to start applying next week for the 5 Star Certification Program.
Mayor Michael Hancock runs the mock emergency as he would in the event of a real situation. The Denver Office of Emergency Management practices a worst-case security scenario in their basement offices in the City and County Building, Dec. 15, 2017. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite) Jan. 28, 2021, 3:19 p.m.
The city on Thursday provided details about how it’s working to ensure more equitable vaccine access as data shows wealthier and whiter neighborhoods in Denver have much higher vaccination rates among people 70 years old and older.
Mayor Michael Hancock and a cadre of cohorts revealed that the city is officially back in Level Orange on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment s dial dashboard. If that level can be maintained for seven days, restaurants, gyms and other businesses that meet the standards set by the state s 5-Star Certification Program will be able to operate under Level Yellow standards, which include increasing capacity from 25 percent to 50 percent, among other things.
Applications for the 5-Star program will officially open at 10 a.m. February 2, with a soft cap of 500 for the first round of participants. Eric Hiraga, executive director of the Denver Economic Development & Opportunity office, said that moving forward in stages is necessary because as many as 7,000 businesses in the city could qualify, and approval requires on-site visits and other time-consuming procedures. But he promised that officials will be carefully watching to make sure the process is fair to all indust
– New certifications granted to businesses
– Any complaints received at the county level
– Any warnings issued to certified businesses, and if any certifications have been revoked
– A business may only receive one warning for non-compliance with certification requirements, and the committee must remove certification for a business that demonstrates noncompliance a second time.
– In addition to your current process for accepting and investigating complaints, please ensure that CDPHE’s complaint form is easily available as part of any print or marketing materials displayed in certified businesses, as well as on any websites used by the administrative committee or County.
Under the program, if the county’s COVID metrics remain at the orange level, 5-Star certified businesses can operate under the looser yellow-level restrictions. A move to yellow on the dial would mean a business can operate at the blue level and so on.