Eagle County officials submitted a variance request to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Tuesday asking to allow gatherings of up to 250 people and remove capacity restrictions at restaurants, swimming pools and places of worship.
Local officials say Summit is just not there yet.
“If our numbers continue to be on the positive side of things, we could certainly consider and have that conversation, but I wouldn’t recommend it at this point,” Summit County Public Health Director Amy Wineland said at Thursday’s joint Board of Health and Board of County Commissioners meeting
“They are upping the ante, so to speak,” Summit County Manager Scott Vargo said at the meeting. “Again, we’re not in a position to make that sort of request.”
According to Eagle’s request, the 250-person limit applies to all “businesses, groups, functions, activities, events, faith-based organizations, nonprofits where space can accommodate and still meet all social distance requirements.”
In Summit County, the health order follows the state’s guidance on group gatherings, which sets a limit at 10 people.
Wineland said Summit County doesn’t have the data to support a variance request like the ones being seen elsewhere. While Summit County’s data is looking good, she said, it is on a two- to four-week lag — the time it takes for someone to be infected, develop symptoms and get a positive test result.
“That’s really before we made some of these major steps forward with reopening,” she said about Summit’s reopening process, which began in earnest June 1. “(Eagle County) is in a different place than we are. We know we have higher visitors than they do on a regular basis.”
