Colorado asking for feedback on proposed restaurant reopening guidelines

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) — The state released a draft of guidelines for reopening dining in restaurants. The draft, which was made public on Tuesday, is subject to changes and does not indicate a time when restaurants will be allowed to resume in-person dining.

The state is asking for restaurant stakeholders to share their input on the proposed guidelines. Restaurant owners and managers and others involved in food service can provide feedback by submitting comments in an online form through Friday, May 22. 

The proposed guidelines dictate that indoors dine-in service can be held at a limited capacity if the following requirements can be met:

○ Minimum of 8 feet of spacing between parties - table to table

○ All employees must wear facial coverings and gloves

○ Proper ventilation per OSHA guidance

○ Sanitation and deep-cleaning of all shared surfaces between parties/at each turnover

The number of people that would be allowed inside hasn’t been determined yet. Party sizes would be limited to six people. 

Restaurants would need to reduce the number of objects touched by multiple people such as darts, pool tables, board games and arcade games.

Under the guidance, restaurants would also need to conduct daily temperature checks of employees and log the results. Employees will have to stay home when they show any symptoms or signs of sickness.

The guidance also encourages employees to maintain 6 foot distancing between each other as much as possible. They would be required to wear gloves and facial coverings during customer interactions and whenever possible during other activities. 

You can read the full list of guidelines here. 

Governor Polis plans on announcing an opening date for restaurants on Monday, May 25th.

At a press conference on Monday, Polis encouraged restaurant owners to start thinking about adding more outdoor seating.

"That's really the only way with the spacing we're going to have a thriving restaurant environment for the coming months," he said.

While indoor seating will be limited, he said adding more outdoor seating could help some restaurants reach their normal capacity.