LAFAYETTE, Colo. (KDVR) — Monday, all 33 counties that have been in Level Red on the state’s COVID-19 dial will move back down to orange.
Governor Jared Polis made the announcement on Twitter last week. Denver along with the rest of the Front Range will be allowed to take baby steps back toward normalcy, including easing restrictions on restaurants.
“It was a pleasant surprise to hear that we can go to Level Orange tomorrow,” Davin Helden, owner of Liquid Mechanics Brewing Company told FOX31.
Under Level Orange, restaurants can allow customers back inside. Capacity limits will be capped at 25% or 50 people.
“It’s a constant challenge to continue to move stuff around based on what the current guidelines are,” Helden said.
This time, he says the challenge is a positive one. The brewery completed a 2,500 square foot temporary expansion of their indoor taproom to increase their capacity limits heading into the winter. Their permit was approved the same day Boulder County moved to Level Red in mid-November. They haven’t been allowed to use the new space yet.
“It was stressful knowing that we had put that much money in there and that was our company’s plan for cold weather,” Helden said.
With the move to Level Orange, he is hoping the investment pays off. It will allow the brewery to have 20 tables instead of the nine they had before.
“Mondays are typically slow days for the service industry anyway so it came on a great day because it gives us time to figure out how to utilize the new space as well,” he said.
While no one knows when the COVID dial may shift again or in which direction, Helden says businesses need to stay optimistic and take advantage of the increased capacity while they can.
“There’s a lot of other businesses out there that don’t really have good outside spaces and I think this’ll definitely help them quite a bit,” he said.