Summit County could be operating under level yellow restrictions as soon as Thursday, Feb. 25, if current COVID-19 metrics remain in place. At a Board of Health meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 23, Dan Hendershott, Summit.
Photo by Wild Iris Media
When the COVID-19 shutdown hit last March, weddings were postponed, canceled or significantly downsized. But vaccination efforts coupled with declining case numbers are making the larger gatherings associated with weddings more of a possibility heading into the summer, and wedding venues, planners and caterers are finally starting to book up.
The Silverthorne Pavilion is almost fully booked with weekend dates for weddings this summer, according to Silverthorne Arts and Culture Manager Sydney Schwab. Schwab said many of the weddings were rescheduled from last summer, as the pavilion has had to postpone or cancel more than 100 so far due to the pandemic. Other bookings have come from couples changing their venue from a smaller location to the pavilion to increase the capacity of their wedding.
Summit County officials amended the local public health order on Friday, Feb. 12, to move the last call for the sale and consumption of alcohol at restaurants to 10 p.m. Under the new order, restaurants.
Summit County businesses that are part of the 5 Star Business Certification Program will be able to operate under level yellow restrictions starting on Saturday, Feb. 13.
Friday, Feb. 12, marked seven days since the state announced Dial 2.0, which makes it easier for counties to move from one level to another. Under the new dial, Summit County’s COVID-19 metrics have remained in level orange or lower for seven days, allowing for five-star businesses to operate in level yellow.
At a town hall about the program on Wednesday, Feb. 10, Summit County’s Environmental Health Manager Dan Hendershott said businesses would be able to operate in level yellow starting on Saturday if all three metrics remained in level orange or lower on Friday.
At 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, Colorado once again will see changes to the COVID-19 dial, the state’s tool for determining restrictions on the county level.
At a news conference Friday, Feb. 5, Gov. Jared Polis and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Executive Director Jill Hunsaker Ryan announced the new dial, which aims to provide a swifter transition between levels. In Summit County, little will change as a result of the new dial, as the county will remain in level orange.
“While this is still a time for caution, these metrics better reflect where we are in the pandemic today, what we’ve learned over the last several months in using the dial and the balance we are trying to strike between disease suppression and economic hardships that restrictions can cause,” Ryan said.