DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado restaurant workers will now be among the first in the state to receive COVID-19 vaccines, the Colorado Restaurant Association (CRA) announced Tuesday.
Foodservice workers will now be in Phase 1B.3. Included in that phase are other workers considered “frontline,” including faith leaders, grocery store employees and public transportation operators. People aged 16 to 65 with at least two “high risk” health conditions are also in Phase 1B.3.
Ahead of Phase 1.3B are phases 1A, 1B.1 and 1B.2. Included in those groups are health care workers, first responders, people 65 and older, and teachers.
Phase 1B.3 is expected to begin in early March.
Prior to the update, restaurant workers were going to be in Phase 2.
The CRA issued the following statement, in part:
“The Colorado Restaurant Association has been urging the Governor’s office for some time to secure prioritized access to the vaccine, and to put restaurant employees in the same category as grocery store workers. Challenges and impacts from the pandemic have devastated the restaurant and foodservice industry; however, our workforce has remained on the front lines of the response to the pandemic by continuing operations and ensuring that Coloradans have access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food.”