Montezuma County has submitted its reopening plan to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in hopes of receiving some exemptions from Colorado’s safer-at-home order.
The county commission, operating as the Board of Health, unanimously approved the plan in a meeting Thursday. It has also been signed and approved by the Montezuma County Public Health Department and Southwest Health System, per CDPHE protocol.
Note: Southwest Health System is an underwriter of KSJD.
At the agreement’s heart is a request to allow 40% occupancy for restaurants and other businesses and venues, a move commissioners have said is essential to keeping small businesses running through the economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic. The agreement also sets a “trigger point” to retighten restrictions if the number of cases shows a notable growth, along with a COVID-19 suppression plan.
CDPHE has the final say on the county’s exemption request. A decision is expected to take several days or a couple of weeks, based on similar requests made by other counties.
Follow these links to read the cover letter and the full reopening plan sent to CDPHE. KSJD News has also summarized the plan’s main points below for phase one, pending state approval. The plan’s second phase would loosen these points further after case statistics are reassessed by the commissioners, MCPHD and SHS.
The trigger point
Key to getting all three parties to approve the plan was establishing a way to measure the need to retighten restrictions, known as a trigger point. In Montezuma County, that point is reached if cases double in a 14-day period.
And in the event it does, the plan agrees to match state-level restrictions at that time.
Limited occupancy
The state has not set a firm date to allow restaurants to reopen their dining rooms. The county is requesting an exemption to allow 40% occupancy not only for restaurants but also for gyms and other businesses and venues.
This number was based on the governor’s goal of about 60% social distancing, county administrator Shak Powers said in the cover letter. (The state reported 75 to 80% under the stay-at-home order.)
Those who reopen will need to have distancing and cleaning protocols finalized before they do. The plan continues to encourage curbside and delivery services as well.
Large venues, like movie theaters and places of worship, may also operate if distancing and additional sanitation are enforced.
Cloth face masks
Cloth face masks will be mandatory for all employees who have close contact with customers. In restaurants, all staff will have to wear face masks. As for the public, the county will strongly encourage them to use one when visiting a business.
Businesses will also be required to screen employees for symptoms and, when available, use a temporal thermometer.
The plan says the MCPHD and chambers of commerce will be responsible for educating businesses on the health safety requirements.
Recreation and sports
Montezuma County has kept relatively relaxed guidelines on outdoor recreation compared to some of its neighboring counties. In its reopening plan, the county continues that stance by generally allowing outdoor use as long as distancing is effective: Hikers should stay six feet apart, while runners (15 feet) and bikers (30 feet) should have more space.
The plan also grants authority to land managers to enforce stricter distancing requirements as needed, including a cap on visitors.
As for sporting events and facilities that are unable to keep people properly distanced, the county will continue to prohibit their reopenings. This applies to both spectators and competitors. One example mentioned in the document as an exemption is vehicle racing without spectators, as its competitors will already be separated.