Star State Certification Program News Today

Bonnie Lehman, center, owner of Arapahoe Cafe in Dillon, serves food to Clara McClure, left, and Kodie Sheppard on May 31. Summit County officials are discussing possible restrictions for this summer, including a proposal to decrease the amount of physical distancing required on restaurant patios. Jason Connolly / Summit Daily archives With the state’s COVID-19 dial system expected to expire later this month, Summit County leaders sat down Thursday to discuss local restrictions that could hel...

Katelyn Huston, owner of Barre Forte, teaches a class Wednesday, April 7, at the studio in Frisco. Huston is one of many Summit County business owners impacted by the states decision to move the county back to level orange due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. Level orange requires that gyms and fitness centers operate at 25% capacity. Jason Connolly / Jason Connolly Photography Huston, who owns Barre Forte, is one of many local business owners adhering to additional restrictions as of 6 a.m. Wednes...

jdejong@summitdaily.com Summit County will be moved from level yellow to level orange on the state’s COVID-19 dial beginning Wednesday, April 7. The move will decrease capacities at most businesses. Graphic from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Summit County officials expressed their frustrations in a Board of Health meeting Tuesday that the state would be moving the county backward on the COVID-19 dial. The move from level yellow to level orange restrictions takes eff...

Photo by Liz Copan / Studio Copan A requirement of the 5 Star State Certification Program is that businesses improve ventilation throughout their facilities using air filters, opening windows and doors to maximize airflow, and more. Though some businesses have taken ventilation improvements a step further. The Uptown on Main in Frisco and Body Essentials Pilates in Dillon have both installed new technology into their heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems meant to kill pathogens. The...

Summit County is expecting another big week for vaccine distribution, and officials are working on ways to make the process more efficient and mitigate any impacts on the community. Last week, the county hosted its first “megapod” at the bus barn in Frisco, one of Summit County’s largest vaccine distribution events to date with more than 1,200 doses administered to community members. But with traffic backed up onto Colorado Highway 9 from residents waiting to get their shots, officials ar...

. In February, Denver restaurants got moved up to 50 percent capacity for indoor dining, and it feels like we might be getting back to real life. For so long it’s been all about the pivots in the kitchen—shifting to takeout, prepping and fulfilling meal kits—but lately we’ve been focusing more on the traditional restaurant experience. The pace in the kitchen has picked up and we’re putting out more food. It really feels like we might be getting back to normal. We did ou...

Photo by Liz Copan / Studio Copan Breckenridge officials and tourism industry representatives made predictions about crowd levels, business, and restriction-related confrontations associated with the spring break period during the Breckenridge Tourism Office’s community update on Friday. Breckenridge Mayor Eric Mamula urged citizens of Breckenridge and Summit County at large to stay vigilant “for at least the next month” in their attempts to reduce the spread of COVID-19. He said that whi...

Staff report Colorado reached a significant vaccination milestone this week that allowed the 5-Star State Certification Program to begin Wednesday, according to a news release from Pitkin County. The program holds local businesses that apply to a higher standard of COVID-19 safety precautions in exchange for allowing them to operate at the next lower color-coded level of restrictions than is currently in place in the county. For example, while Pitkin County currently operates under the Yellow-l...

, copy of the Summit Daily News. While the headline was shocking for most, Parmet and his colleagues had been preparing for that day since the virus was first reported in Wuhan, China. “We know that Summit County is a premier destination, not just for the country but for the world, and so we thought, ’Well, if this thing comes here, we can be No. 1, so we had to be ready,” he said. It’s safe to say not a single health care professional or county official will forget the day that the fir...

The dial determines the capacity limits under which businesses in each county must operate and will continue to range from Levels Green to Purple. But it features a number of