{"id":2458730,"date":"2020-05-22T01:15:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-22T07:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=326181"},"modified":"2020-05-22T01:15:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T07:15:00","slug":"eagle-county-request-would-aid-restaurants-and-lodges-in-basalt-and-el-jebel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/eagle-county-request-would-aid-restaurants-and-lodges-in-basalt-and-el-jebel\/","title":{"rendered":"Eagle County request would aid restaurants and lodges in Basalt and El Jebel"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"670\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/eagleopening-atd-052220-1-1024x670.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/eagleopening-atd-052220-1-1024x670.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/eagleopening-atd-052220-1-300x196.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/eagleopening-atd-052220-1-768x502.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/eagleopening-atd-052220-1-1536x1004.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/05\/eagleopening-atd-052220-1-2048x1339.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>A customer picks up takeout from El Korita in Willits Town Center on Thursday, May 21, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/><em>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">Basalt and El Jebel restaurants and lodges will be able to open to limited occupancy Monday if Eagle County persuades the governor\u2019s office to grant the county a variance to a state public health order.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The county submitted its request to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on May 11 but hasn\u2019t received a response yet. However, a panel of county officials met with the media Thursday to discuss its plan, indicating a level of confidence that change is forthcoming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Eagle County\u2019s new plan, called the Blue Phase, would allow gatherings of up to 50 people as long as 6-foot distancing is followed between non-household members. Multiple groups of 50 would be allowed in parks and outdoor gathering spaces if physically separated by at least 20 feet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe intention is to stress test this a little bit in an environment that looks nothing like our ski season traffic but starts to get our businesses understanding how to operate in this new normal,\u201d said Birch Barron, Eagle County\u2019s emergency manager.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Blue Phase would allow dine-in service at restaurants and bars with 50% capacity at indoor spaces and unlimited seating outdoors with 6 feet of social distancing between different parties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cTraditional lodging\u201d could operate at 50% capacity under Eagle County\u2019s proposal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Eagle County officials said Thursday they feel easing the restrictions is an important economic and social step as well as an important test to see how close to normal conditions can be for ski season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis is that opportunity for our local residents and local business owners to start to get comfortable and really confident in maintaining the social distancing requirements,\u201d said Eagle County Public Health and Environment Director Heath Harmon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Commissioner Jeanne McQueeney said local residents, business owners and employees can also set an example for visitors by wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI actually believe they will see this is how you behave,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Pitkin County also is <a id=\"N0x1598480N0x15f2060:N0x1598480N0x16d07c8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/pitkin-county-approves-groups-up-to-50-with-next-weeks-health-order-restaurant-dine-in-service-near-certain\/\">looking at easing restrictions Wednesday<\/a>, and it includes groups up to 50, but the restaurant requirements are based on social-distancing rules, not on a restaurant\u2019s percentage of capacity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That puts Basalt in a potentially awkward position. Most restaurants and all lodges in the town are located in Eagle County. However, a handful of restaurants are in Pitkin County, so their opening could lag the rest of the businesses by a couple of days and a few rule changes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Harmon acknowledged that coordinating rules in Basalt is \u201ca little challenging.\u201d Eagle and Pitkin county officials are \u201caligned on the directions we are taking even if the days are off by one or two here and there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The town of Basalt has the ability to adopt the tougher of the regulations between Eagle and Pitkin counties. Basalt stuck with Eagle County\u2019s rules when it opened restaurants for take-out service prior to Pitkin County taking that step.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Town Manager Ryan Mahoney could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon on Basalt\u2019s position on Eagle County\u2019s request to ease restrictions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The county officials were upfront Thursday about risks that come with eased restrictions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cBlue Phase scares me, but so does not moving into Blue Phase,\u201d Barron said. He later added, \u201cI think the things that scare me about Blue Phase, it\u2019s just the increased number of social contacts, to be perfectly honest. We know that nothing has zero risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">He noted that going to the grocery store, big box retailers, a place of worship or any place with gatherings carries a risk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019ve accepted a level of risk because we know people need to eat and so that risk goes along with it,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The public should not interpret Eagle County\u2019s efforts to ease restrictions as a message that conditions are safe from the spread of the coronavirus, Harmon said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cLet\u2019s face it, the virus is here in our community. It\u2019s going to be here for a while,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to have a vaccine for a while. We certainly can\u2019t live as we have been living for the next 12 to 18 months until that vaccine shows up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s certainly not going to be a risk-free zone but at the same time we do know a bit more about this virus now than we knew back in March, we do understand how we can actually protect ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Whenever restrictions ease, county officials will watch local disease trends, the number of new cases, the percent of tests that come back positive, how capacity of the health care system is being affected and national trends, since visitors will be arriving from other areas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">If the county receives the state variance, it will rely on businesses and residents to comply with the new conditions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt starts with trust and education but if there are ongoing violations of the public health order, local law enforcement throughout our county are willing to respond and assist with that enforcement,\u201d Harmon said. \u201cEven when they come out to the scene, they\u2019re going to be focused first and foremost on that education piece then they can look at other enforcement tools they might have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Barron said if people see violations of social distancing and restrictions on gatherings, they should call the non-emergency numbers of the dispatch centers in the Eagle and Roaring Fork Valleys.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThat non-emergency line has received hundreds of calls for violations of the public health order and they\u2019ve dispatched law enforcement to investigate those calls,\u201d Barron said. \u201cThe first priority is education, but they have issued citations in several cases.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:scondon@aspentimes.com\">scondon@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/eagle-county-request-would-aid-restaurants-and-lodges-in-basalt-and-el-jebel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A customer picks up takeout from El Korita in Willits Town Center on Thursday, May 21, 2020. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Basalt and El Jebel restaurants and lodges will be able to open to limited occupancy Monday if Eagle County persuades the governor\u2019s office to grant the county a variance to a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2458730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-17 09:33:15","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2458730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458730\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}