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Teller Co. restaurant owner considers reopening prior to state approving variance

russ's place

TELLER COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Teller County submitted a variance request to the state Friday to ease some of the state guidelines for COVID-19. But one restaurant owner says that request is coming too late.

Bob Kerr, a co-owner of Russ' Place in Divide, says the County Public Health Team has been giving him a hard time as he tries to stay afloat.

Kerr says he's been letting people come inside his restaurant to order takeout and have a drink while they wait. But those actions may have prompted Teller County Public Health to deliver a notice of violation on Friday.

The letter threatens to revoke his license, fine him and even put him in jail.

“Maybe we are selfish and defiant," Kerr said. "I’m trying to keep my people working. We’re trying to get stuff going.”

Kerr says a variance waiver may make things easier for the business owners in the county, but it's coming too late since his restaurant has lost around 80 percent of its monthly revenue.

“Every time they give us a date something might happen, they move it up," said Kerr. "They're going to force us into a position where we’re either going to lose our business to the economy or we’re going to lose our business because the government is going to shut us down.”

Kerr says his business has also tried to adapt. They've been limiting how many customers come inside to order and asking them to eat outside.

If the county's variance waiver is approved, customers could dine inside so long as the premises are sanitized often and social distancing can be enforced.

Kerr says business owners in rural counties don't agree with the statewide restriction, especially in regions where the case numbers and deaths aren't high.

“I think common sense would say that if you haven’t got the cases like Denver, then don’t make us follow Denver rules," he said. "It’s unreasonable. Makes no sense.”

The Teller County Public Health Department was not available for comment on Sunday.

Article Topic Follows: State & Regional News

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Zachary Aedo

Zach is a reporter for KRDO and Telemundo Surco. Learn more about Zach here.

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