DENVER (KDVR) — Sonia Riggs, executive director of the Colorado Restaurant Association, said her organization had no idea the governor would make its workers wait another two weeks to access COVID-19 vaccines.
During a press conference Friday, Gov. Jared Polis announced another revamp of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine priority list. Several groups were previously allowed to start receiving vaccines on March 5 as part of Phase 1B.3.
Instead, Polis’ new schedule bumped faith leaders and restaurant workers, among others, into Phase 1B.4, which begins March 21.
“Frankly, we were shocked,” said Riggs. “We had been assured by the governor’s team and the governor personally for more than a month now that we were included in Phase 1B.3. In fact as late as this morning we were still in Phase 1B.3 along with grocery store workers, then come to find out that that has been changed.”
Polis said the new schedule has been engineered to get the state healthy in the quickest way possible.
“Equitable distribution of the vaccine is a top priority for Colorado and to continue that trend, the state is moving to a new phase next week of the vaccine prioritization plan where more doses of this lifesaving vaccine will be available to most vulnerable communities. I’m focused on ensuring that Coloradans who are at the most risk of COVID due to the environment they work in can receive the vaccine, so we can save more lives and end this pandemic,” said Polis.
Riggs said the association is pleased that restaurant workers have a concrete date with the vaccine, but that the servers and line cooks should not be in a separate bucket from grocery store workers.
“They are both providing the same service frankly, providing food to the public,” she said. “To make that change at the last minute is causing confusion and frustration.”
Riggs insists that every minute counts for Colorado’s restaurants, both in getting the workers back working and the restaurants themselves full. Only at 100% capacity will restaurants begin to make a full recovery.
As 10% of the state’s workforce, restrictions have already taken a chunk out of the state’s livelihood – a chunk that got bigger and bigger as capacity restrictions wore on.
“We have been told by restaurants that if things don’t start to change pretty quickly, about half have said they’ll have to consider closing permanently within the next six months,” Riggs said. “So I think knowing we’re starting to see some changes … that’s just one step. We’d really like to see more changes coming on capacity restrictions.”