THE
THE HIGH
THE HIGH COUNTRY TODAY, GOOD NEWS THERE IS NO CONSTRUCTION THOUGH HAPPENING THROUGH IDAHO
SPRINGS.
THE STATE IS SLOWLY GRANTING
APPROVAL TO MORE COUNTIES FOR
THE FIVE STAR VARIANCE PROGRAM.
THE LATEST TO JOIN THE LIST
DOUGLAS COUNTY LARIMER
COUNTIES.
THE PROGRAM LETS CERTAIN
BUSINESSES REOPEN INDOORS JUST
AS THE COLD WEATHER IS REALLY
STARTING TO SET IN.
WE WANT TO GAUGE YOUR
COMFORT LEVEL HERE WITH THIS
PROGRAM.
WILL YOU VISIT BUSINESSES UNDER
THE FIVE STAR VARIANCE PROGRAM?
LET SNOW.
WE'VE GOT A POLL THAT'S RUNNING
ON OUR 90'S TWITTER PAGE.
ALMOST SEVEN HUNDRED OF YOU
HAVE VOTED THIS MORNING WHILE
YOU DO THAT, INDOOR DINING
STARTED IN MANY RESTAURANTS
WEDNESDAY EVENING AND JORDAN
CHAVEZ IS IN PARKOUR THIS
MORNING.
JORDAN, THIS COULD BE
THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT.
A LOT OF RESTAURANTS NEEDED.
YEAH.
YOU KNOW, TASHAN WE ACTUALLY
JUST LEARNED WITHIN THE LAST
HALF HOUR THAT JEFFERSON COUNTY
HAS NOW FINISHED ITS
APPLICATION TO THE STATE TO
ALSO JOIN THIS PROGRAM AND THEY
SAY THEIR FIRST PRIORITY WILL
BE RESTAURANTS WITHOUT DRIVE
THROUGH.
NOW THIS IS REALLY KIND OF A
REWARD ESSENTIALLY FOR THESE
COMMUNITIES BUT WE'RE SEEING A
DECREASE IN THE SPREAD OF COVID
LIKE HERE IN DOUGLAS COUNTY.
THE TRI COUNTY HEALTH
DEPARTMENT SAYS THAT THEY ARE
SEEING A STEADY DECLINE IN
THE NUMBER OF CASES AS WELL AS
THE NUMBER OF HOSPITALIZATIONS.
AND SO BECAUSE OF THAT WE ARE
NOW SEEING MORE BUSINESSES HERE
THAT ARE BEING GIVEN THE GREEN
LIGHT TO OPERATE INDOORS AT
ABOUT TWENTY FIVE PERCENT
OF THEIR CAPACITY.
SO FOR THIS SPECIFIC AREA WE
ARE LOOKING AT INCLUDING 18
RESTAURANTS, 14 GYMS AND ONE
DOOR INDOOR EVENT VENUE.
AND THEN DOUGLAS COUNTY SAID
THAT MORE THAN 100 OTHER
BUSINESSES ARE CURRENTLY
UNDERGOING AN APPROVAL PROCESS
TO ALSO REOPEN INDOORS UNDER
THIS FIVE STAR VARIANCE PROGRAM
AS WELL.
NOW THAT NUMBER IS CONTINUALLY
BEING UPDATED SO WE'VE ACTUALLY
PUBLISHED THIS OFFICIAL LIST IN
THIS ARTICLE ONLINE NEWS.COM.
SO GO CHECK THAT OUT THERE.
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT SAID THAT
THEY UNDERSTAND THE ECONOMIC
TOLL COVID HAS REALLY TAKEN ON
BUSINESSES LIKE RESTAURANTS AND
GYMS.
SO THEY SEE THIS AS A BIT OF AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM AND IN
ORDER FOR THEM TO ACTUALLY BE
ABLE TO DO SO, THERE HAS TO BE
A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PRECAUTIONS
SET IN PLACE LIKE A DAILY LOG
OF CUSTOMER INFORMATION FOR
PURPOSES OF CONTACT TRACING AND
TO ENSURE THAT THEY'VE PUT IN
PLACE IMPROVED VENTILATION
BECAUSE WE KNOW AIR QUALITY IS
REALLY IMPORTANT WITH
THE SPREAD OF IT.
SO THEY HAVE TO DO EXTRA.
THEY MAY HAVE TO DO SOME EXTRA
THINGS WITH THEIR VENTILATION
SYSTEM, THEIR TABLES HAVE TO BE
10 FEET APART AS OPPOSED TO SIX
FEET APART AND IS PROVING TO BE
A BIT OF A CHALLENGE FOR
BUSINESSES AND THEY'RE WILLING
TO DO IT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO
REOPEN AND THEY WANT TO SERVE
THEIR CUSTOMERS.
BUT THAT EXTRA FOUR FEET CAN BE
A LOT FOR BUSINESS.
AND SO DOUGLAS COUNTY AND IN
JEFFERSON COUNTY AND LIKE WE
PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED EARLIER
WHERE COUNTY HAS ALSO BEEN
GIVEN THE GO AHEAD FROM
THE STATE BOARD THIS PROGRAM SO
FAR THERE 40 BUSINESSES HAVE
BEEN PRE-APPROVED AND THEY CAN
REOPEN IMMEDIATELY AND THEN
20 BUSINESSES ARE EXPECTED TO
GO UNDER INSPECTION SOMETIME
NEXT WEEK TO ALSO BE ABLE TO DO
THAT NATASHA.
ALL THANKS FOR GOING THROUGH
THAT.
AND WE WANT TO KNOW THIS
MORNING DO YOU PLAN ON VISITING
ANY OF THOSE BUSINESSES OR
PARTICIPATING IN THAT FIVE STAR
VARIANCE PROGRAM JORAN JUST
WENT THROUGH AND TAKING A LOOK
AT THE POLL RESULTS THIS
MORNING.
SIX HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE
OF YOU VOTED.
FORTY SEVEN PERCENT OF YOU SAY
YES.
THIRTY FOUR PERCENT SAY NO, 17
PERCENT ARE UNSURE.
VOTING ON OUR 9NEWS TWITTER
PAGE.
WE'LL BE CHECKING THE RESULTS
THROUGHOUT THE MORNING.
AND YOU KNOW, GOING THROUGH
JORDAN'S PLAN, I MEAN IT SEEMS
VERY SAFE FOR THE STATE
OF COURSE APPROVING ALL OF THIS
WITH STRICT GUIDELINES.
IT'S GOOD FOR BUSINESSES THAT
WANT TO REOPEN.
I CAN UNDERSTAND PEOPLE WHO SAY
NO, THEY'RE UNSURE ABOUT IT
GIVEN THAT THE VIRUS IS STILL
OUT THERE.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY IT'S
STILL A CHOICE.
JORDAN YEAH, THAT'S EXACTLY
WHAT I WAS GOING TO ADD.
THERE IS, YOU KNOW, THE STATE
AND COME UP WITH WHATEVER PLAN
IT WANTS THE INDIVIDUAL
COUNTIES TO COME UP WHATEVER
PLANS THEY WANT.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY WE'VE
GOT TO REMEMBER THAT WE ARE IN
CONTROL OF THE ACTIONS WE TAKE.
SO IF WE'RE GOING TO GO YEAH,
WE GOT TO FOLLOW THOSE RULES.
BUT IF YOU'RE NOT FEELING SUPER
COMFORTABLE, IT'S TOTALLY FINE.
STAY HOME OR TAKE OUT THERE ARE
OTHER WAYS THAT WE CAN SUPPORT
THESE BUSINESSES AS WELL.
I THINK THAT IT'S JUST
IMPORTANT THAT WE DO SOMEHOW
SUPPORT THEM.
I WOULD AGREE.
I MEAN I JUST THINK IT'S NICE
THAT WE ALSO HAVE SOME
SOLUTIONS, RIGHT?
BECAUSE AT THE BEGINNING WE
WERE ALL JUST TRYING TO FIGURE
THIS OUT AND DIDN'T FEEL LIKE
THERE WERE A LOT OF SOLUTIONS
FOR ALL THOSE BUSINESSES THAT
WERE ALSO REALLY STRUGGLING OUT
THERE.
SO IT FEELS LIKE THERE'S SOME
SOLUTIONS FOR EVERYONE TO DO
WHAT THEY FEEL IS COMFORTABLE
AND ALSO TO PROVIDE THAT
SUPPORT TO THOSE BUSINESSES.
YEAH, I AGREE WITH YOU GUYS.
I MEAN I THINK IT'S A GREAT
OPTION FOR FOR SOME PEOPLE BUT
PROBABLY NOT FOR ALL PEOPLE.
BUT HAVING SAID THAT, THESE
RESTAURANTS ARE NOT GOING TO
SURVIVE UNLESS THEY GET SOME
HELP AND THAT'S WHAT
THE GOVERNMENT IS FOR AND IT'S
JUST IT'S JUST MADDENING THAT
THE GOVERNMENT CAN'T GET THIS
GET THIS BILL PASSED.
I MEAN