Restauranteur Offers Safety Solutions

A LOCAL RESTAURANT OWNER HAS STARTED A PETITION IN SUPPORT OF OPENING DURANGO EATERIES BY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. BUT COLORADO GOVERNOR JARED POLIS HAS SAID HE WON’T MAKE A DECISION ON THE STATUS OF RE-OPENING RESTAURANTS UNTIL MAY 25TH. YOU’RE WATCHING THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK, BROUGHT TO YOU BY DURANGO PARTY RENTAL. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE. DERAILED POUR HOUSE RESTAURANT AND BAR OWNER LISA GIBSON THINKS SHE HAS A SOLUTION TO SOCIAL-DISTANCING THAT WILL ALLOW BARS AND RESTAURANTS TO OPEN SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. AND LAST WEEK, SHE DISTRIBUTED AN ONLINE PETITION TO MORE THAN TWO DOZENDURANGO-AREA RESTAURANT AND BAR OWNERS REQUESTING THAT LOCAL OFFICIALS ALLOW THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY TO REOPEN THEIR ESTABLISHMENTS AT 40 PERCENT CAPACITY BEFORE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. GIBSON AND HER STAFF HAVE SPENT THEIR WEEKS DURING THE SAFE-AT-HOME AND SAFER-AT-HOME CLOSURE INSTALLING BARRIERS AND CREATING BUFFER ZONES TO PROTECT CUSTOMERS WHILE THEY DINE OR ENJOY A COCKTAIL AT HER RESTAURANT. SHE’S ALSO DEVELOPED PROTOCOLS THAT REQUIRE CUSTOMERS TO DISINFECT THEIR HANDS WHEN THEY ARRIVE AND TO WEAR MASKS, WHICH SHE WILL PROVIDE, WHILE THEY’RE ESCORTED TO THEIR TABLE. AND THIS WEEK, SHE PLANS TO INSTALL PRIVACY BARRIERS . . . WELL, CALL THEM VIRUS BARRIERS . . . FOR EVERY TWO SEATS ALONG THE BAR, A PRACTICE SHE SAW IN PUBS WHILE TOURING IRELAND A FEW YEARS AGO. AS A FINAL PRECAUTION, CUSTOMERS WILL BE ASKED TO LEAVE BY THE BACK DOOR TO AVOID EXPOSURE TO ARRIVING GUESTS.
IT REALLY IS ABOUT THE BUSINESS OWNER TAKING THE INITIATIVE TO CONTROL THEIR SPACE. AND, AND I THINK WITH A LOT OF THOUGHT AND, AND WITH A HOST, AND YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT ARE ALL ON BOARD WITH KEEPING, YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC DISTANCE PART AND WHEN THEY COME INTO THE RESTAURANT, YOU’RE CREATING THESE BARRIERS SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU’RE WALKING THEM TO THEIR TABLES, WE’RE TRYING TO HAVE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF EXPOSURE AS POSSIBLE FOR THE CUSTOMERS THAT ARE ALREADY DINING, AND OF COURSE, FOR THE CUSTOMERS WHO ARE COMING IN. AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE STARTED TO CREATE THESE SPACES WITH THE, HERE, HERE’S AN EXAMPLE OF ONE THAT WE COMPLETED WITH THE ANTIQUE DOORS. AND THEN WHEN YOU GO INTO THE SPACE, YOU KNOW, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A BARRIER FROM PEOPLE WALKING BY THAT IS, YOU KNOW, WASHABLE. AND AS FAR AS THE SERVERS, THEY ACTUALLY CAN STAND ON THE OUTSIDE AND TAKE THE ORDERS FROM A SAFE DISTANCE.IN HER LETTER TO RESTAURANT OWNERS, GIBSON ARGUED THAT RESTAURANTS AND BARS, IF THEY CREATE SAFE SPACES THAT ALLOW CUSTOMERS TO PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING, ARE NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN SHOPPING AT WALMART OR SHOPPING AT NOW-OPEN RETAIL BUSINESSES DOWNTOWN.  AND THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY IS HURTING FROM THE EXTENDED CLOSURES. THE RED SNAPPER RESTAURANT RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT IT’S CLOSING ITS DOORS FOR GOOD. GIBSON WORRIES THAT MANY MORE RESTAURANTS WILL CLOSE UP SHOP PERMANENTLY IF THEY’RE NOT ALLOWED TO OPEN SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. THE GOVERNOR’S SAFER-AT-HOME REGULATIONS ISSUED AT THE END OF APRIL ALLOWED MOST NON-ESSENTIAL BUSINESSES TO OPEN  WITH STRICT SOCIAL-DISTANCING PROTOCOLS IN PLACE, INCLUDING MANDATORY MASKS AND GLOVES FOR EMPLOYEES AND LIMITING THE NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS INSIDE THE STORE AT ANY ONE TIME. THE ORDERS DID NOT ALLOW RESTAURANTS TO OPEN FOR IN-HOUSE DINING, ALTHOUGH THEY’RE ALLOWED TO OFFER TO-GO AND CURBSIDE SERVICE. LAST WEEK, THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT DENIED MONTEZUMA COUNTY’S REQUEST FOR AN EXEMPTION THAT WOULD HAVE ALLOWED RESTAURANTS TO OPEN AT 40 PERCENT CAPACITY, CITING THE CONTINUED GROWTH IN CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASES. LA PLATA COUNTY CASES ALSO CONTINUE TO INCREASE INCREMENTALLY. SAN JUAN BASIN PUBLIC HEALTH REPORTED A TOTAL OF 70 CONFIRMED CASES AS OF MAY 16TH. IN AN UPDATE RELEASED LAST WEEK, POLIS ANNOUCED THAT HE WOULD MAKE A DECISION ON MARCH 25TH ABOUT WHETHER TO ALLOW RESTAURANTS TO REOPEN AND AT WHAT LEVEL. IN THE MEANTIME, GIBSON SAYS THE WAITING AND UNCERTAINTY IS ALMOST AS BAD AS THE BUSINESS REVENUE SHE’S LOST.
IT’S JUST, IT’S PAINSTAKING THAT WE GET SOMETHING, I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW TO PUT IT INTO WORDS, IT’S JUST, IT’S, WE NEED COMMITMENT. WE NEED SOME COMMITMENT FROM THE CITY OFFICIALS. THERE IS NO DIRECTION, AND WE HAVE NOT GOTTEN ANY CONFIRMATION OF ANY DATES. IT’S ALWAYS A MAYBE. WE’LL SEE. MAYBE WE’LL SEE HOW THE NUMBERS ARE. WE’LL SEE HOW THE DATA IS, AND AS WE WATCH ALL THESE OTHER BUSINESSES OPEN AND WE START TO SEE SOME OF THE HOTEL PARKING LOTS FILL UP, WE THINK WHAT? HOW DO WE SURVIVE? HOW DO WE SURVIVE WITH WHAT WE BUILT OVER THE YEARS TO MAKE THE RESTAURANT COMMUNITY AND DURANGO SO THRIVING.TO FOLLOW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE TIMELINE FOR DECISIONS ON RE-OPENING BUSINESSES, VISIT SAN JUAN BASIN PUBLIC HEALTH’S WEB SITE AT S J B PUBLIC HEALTH DOT ORG. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE FOR THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK.