Reuters
FILE PHOTO: A marijuana leaf is displayed at Canna Pi medical marijuana dispensary in Seattle
- Summit County, Colorado, home to many ski resorts, is closing up shop thanks to the coronavirus.
- Although this should have been spring break, one of the business times for the ski resorts and local businesses, Gov. Jared Polis ordered all ski resorts to close to help deter the coronavirus.
- Summit County health officials on Monday went a step further, shutting down all non-essential businesses including lodging, eat-in restaurants, bars, ride-share services, and even bus service.
- But it is allowing several essential businesses to stay open. And in Colorado style, that list includes marijuana dispensaries.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Summit County, Colorado, is home to many ski resorts. It's known in the state as high country because most of it is above 9,000 feet. This week is spring break, which should have been one of the biggest weeks of the year for the county, as skiers traveled there from all over the world to enjoy spring skiing.
Instead, the coronavirus came to town. Summit County (home to ski resorts like Breckenridge, Keystone, and Copper Mountain) and Eagle County (home to ski resorts like Vail and Beaver Creek) were some of the first areas in the state to report cases of the virus. As cases have multiplied in Colorado, Gov. Jared Polis ordered all the ski resorts in the state to close.
Two people who visited Summit have presumptive positive cases, and another 34 test results are pending. (Eleven people tested negative.) The state of Colorado has confirmed 160 cases as of Monday, with new cases confirmed daily.
So on Monday Summit County health officials ordered nearly every business to shut down. This includes shutting down the bus service, ride-share services like Uber and Lyft, all dine-in restaurants, and bars. All hotels and short-term lodging must be vacated and shut down by Thursday, essentially requiring non-residents to leave on or before the end of the week.
While restaurants can still provide take-out food (the county suggests that people avoid using cash to pay for it), all foot-traffic retail locations will otherwise be shut down.
But there are exceptions.
"The only retail locations permitted to remain open will be banks, grocery stores, liquor stores, marijuana dispensaries, pharmacies, and gas stations," its press release said.
With those necessities available, Summit residents should be prepared to endure this period of social distancing.