El Paso County Requests Permission To Reopen Restaurants Ahead Of State Guidelines
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - El Paso County commissioners voted unanimously to request a waiver that would allow restaurants to reopen ahead of the state's timeline. The commissioners voted came just after hearing more than three hours of public commentary.
Leaders say El Paso County meets the criteria to qualify for a waiver:
- The county must be able to show 14 consecutive days of decline in the number of new cases or a very low number of cases overall and;
- The county must have a written COVID suppression plan approved by local Public Health authorities, hospitals and the Board of County Commissioners.
The plan to reopen restaurants includes limiting the total number of customers, keeping a record of table assignments, and getting information from one member of every dining group for possible contact tracing.
Before restaurants can reopen, the request has to be approved by Gov. Jared Polis and the state health department.