DILLON — The restrictions on businesses are beginning to loosen slightly under Summit County’s new public health order, which mirrors Gov. Jared Polis’ “safer at home” executive order.

Nonessential retail businesses were able to reopen for curbside pickup on Monday, April 27, while personal service businesses are able to resume Friday, May 1. Personal service businesses, which include hair and nail salons or dry cleaning services, along with essential businesses like grocery stores, are now required under the Summit County public health order to complete a form with plans to implement social distancing protocols. 

The form is five pages long and includes checklists to protect employee health, such as directing anyone who can work from home to do so and requiring symptoms checks for employees prior to entering the workplace. There are also checklists that focus on measures to keep people 6 feet apart, prevent crowds from gathering, increase sanitation, prevent unnecessary contact and reduce exposure in employee transportation. The form can be found at Co.Summit.co.us/coronavirus.

For nonessential business, the form must be completed prior to performing any services. Essential businesses that have remained open throughout the pandemic are required to complete the form by May 4. All businesses must post the form and other required signage at public entrances. 

Since nonessential retail businesses can sell products only via delivery, window service or curbside pickup, they are not yet required to complete the form but can do so in preparation for reopening in the future.

Tina McGow, owner of Tina’s Mountain Do’s, plans to operate in her salon on her own with one client at a time. She said that while she has clients scheduled for May 1, she might postpone operations until May 8 because she is concerned about people’s health as she has clients older than 65. 

“I’m not feeling comfortable because of the safety issues with the numbers going up,” McGow said, referring to the uptick in confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county. “I want everybody to be safe.”

Bona Dea, owner of Silverthorne’s A New Concept Salon & Boutique, plans to start seeing clients May 1 and will rotate herself and other hairdressers throughout the week with one hairdresser and one client at a time. Dea said she feels there has been a lack of information about the updated public health order, noting that she wasn’t sure how all of the protocols would work in a hair salon. 

“I don’t know how they expect our clients to wear masks,” Dea said. “I guess they could hold them up to their face. With wearing gloves, I just don’t see the point. At least we’re getting open. I guess it’s going to be a ‘try and see what happens.’”