With Face Masks No Longer Mandated For Those Who Are Vaccinated, Business Owners Navigate Uncertainty

DENVER (CBS4)- Arianna Burton owns Studio Urban Wax on South Broadway in Denver. She said learning vaccinated people will no longer have to wear a mask indoors comes as a surprise.

"It's definitely been a curveball," Burton told CBS4's Andrea Flores. "It's going to put us in a hard spot with how we're keeping clients safe, our staff safe, and how we're going to balance clients who don't want to wear masks, and clients who want the masks still."

Burton believes the ever-changing guidelines make it hard for businesses to make a plan.

"Is it a violation? A HIPAA violation? Are clients going to upset if we ask for proof?" said Burton. "I think that'll be the trickiest part, how we navigate proof that you've been vaccinated."

On Thursday, the governor's office confirmed to CBS4 that the face mask mandate does not apply to those who are vaccinated in Colorado. This comes after revised COVID-19 guidelines from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when it comes to face masks and face coverings.

Down the street, Bruno's Italian Bistro owner Nick Mujaj says he will no longer require customers to wear a mask.

"I'm not going to force people to wear a mask," Mujaj said. "I can do that to my staff, yeah, but to the customer? I'm not going to do that."

Mujaj says six feet of social distancing between tables will stay.

"I think we'll have people feel more comfortable, so people will start going out a little bit more. I think we're going in the right direction," said Mujaj. "We'll see."

Studio Urban Wax says for now, the masks will stay in the salon until they learn more from state and local leaders.

"We have kept everyone here, and our staff, COVID free. We haven't had any client issues, so everyone here has been safe and we would like to continue that," Burton said.