COLORADO: Larimer County restaurant owners: New COVID order a death sentence; we will not shut down.

A group of restaurant and brewery owners in Larimer County said Monday afternoon that enough is enough. They will not be shutting down in-person dining under the county’s new “Level Red” designation on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s COVID dial.

“While COVID is not a death sentence for the majority of people who get it, this order will be for many Loveland Businesses,” said Clay Caldwell in a news release. “To follow this order would mean laying off dozens of people who then don’t know if they have enough to pay rent and give their family a nice Christmas.”

Caldwell, owner of Betta Gumbo, and Morgen Harrington, one of the owners of Grimm Brothers Brewhouse — both in Loveland — are leading the effort. They announced their decision through a news release Monday afternoon. They said they will continue to operate at the “yellow” level they have been.

Larimer County is in the sparsely-populated northern reaches of Colorado’s Front Range, and despite the surge in COVID-19 infections, still enjoys high ICU availability.