Pitkin County moves to Red restrictions. Why? The worst incidence rate in the state which is over 3k (350 is the line for red restrictions). We have been over 1.5k I believe for the last two months.
What does Red mean vs orange ++.
Indoor dining is shut, only take out or delivery.
Hotels are limited to 50% capacity.
Aspen Ski Co (which manages skiing on the mountains) is promising to be extra extra EXTRA covid safe. What this means in actuality is unknown and proprietary so it can't be shared (or judged).
I was on the Board of Health call yesterday and they took public comment. Some highlights from that include:
1. Resturant owners don't want to have indoor dining closed.
2. Restaurant workers don't want to have indoor dining shut down.
3. Resturant industry questions about how much COVID exists, believing it will magically go down, believing they are being unfairly targeted (what about DJs, and parties, and hotels etc).
4. Short term renters upset that they need a COVID test prior to arrival.
5. Guy in Redstone upset that he missed storming the Capitol and his property taxes are too high.
6. Short term renters upset that they can't have multiple families stay in same unit.
7. Owners of short term property rentals worried about the ability to rent.
8. The organizer of the Aspen anesthesia seminar is upset that docs would have to get a COVID test prior to arrival because ' all the Docs who are coming are front line workers and they will have had both rounds of vaccine shots and therefore be immune'. This guy really pissed me off, this is just a bald faced lie. IF somehow all of these Docs got their shot the last week of dec and got there second shot the week of Jan 18 and it takes two weeks after the second shot to reach full effect they would be hitting immunity as they are leaving Feb 5-6. This is assuming these docs all got their shots basically the first (day) week they were available. That is a pretty fucking heroic assumption. And if they are able to get the very first round of vax shots (because as we know anesthesia is the absolute front line, not EMTs, or ER docs and nurses) how hard can it be for them to get a COVID test? This guy really shines a bright light on the problem with tourism during a pandemic. People who decide to ignore CDC guidelines against non-essential travel are by definition a group who are going to take more COVID risks. For god sakes doctors who decide to travel against CDC recommendations so they can ski during the day and take an online course at night to keep their qualifications current are not going to be COVID smart. Maybe your qualifications should actually be called into question if you are the kind of doctor who decides to ignore the CDC so you can get some turns in during a pandemic.
Bottom line, we have become a bit less friendly to tourism, but as long as the lift keep spinning people will keep coming and most of those people will be COVID risk takers. Why is Aspen the hottest COVID spot in all of CO? Well, we are the number one ski tourism destination in the world and with that comes the VID.
Will my kids ever go back to in person learning? At current rates we should hit herd immunity sometime in September (along with maybe 50 ish deal locals and god knows how many long term disabilities). And heck maybe we will hit herd immunity even sooner between the vaccine and the X games.
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