09/04/2021
Ooooh look! The government says you can have your dance floors back... who is still following this BS?
From the Colorado Restaurant Association:
"Please help our advocacy by responding to this quick survey.
State Lifts Ban on Dance Floors in Restaurants; Critical Federal Advocacy Survey
IN THIS ISSUE
New Order Lifts Dance Floor Ban
URGENT: Nat'l Impact Survey for Fed Advocacy Nat'l Public Affairs Conference Restaurant Worker Vaccine Guide Post COVID-Era Advice From Fisher Phillips Register for Upcoming ServSafe Classes Free At-Home COVID-19 Testing
ERC Help From Henry + Horne
Dear Members,
The State has released the tenth amended COVID-19 public health order, which lifts the ban on indoor dance floors in restaurants and bars. Please take a moment to respond to the National Restaurant Association's impact survey - this data is critical to the success of advocacy on your behalf at the federal level. Join us for the virtual National Public Affairs Conference on April 20. We have created a guide to help you navigate the vaccination process. Register for an upcoming ServSafe class. And finally, we have partnered with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to provide free at-home COVID-19 test kits for restaurant workers.
Please note: Information provided in these emails is up-to-date when we send it, but just as this situation is rapidly evolving, so are the rules and legislation that we cover. We will continue to update you as things change, and you can always see the most recent information in our Coronavirus Resource Center and on our Covid-19 Reopening Resources page on our website.
New Public Health Order Lifts Ban on Dance Floors in Restaurants This week, the State released the tenth amended COVID-19 public health order. This order is updated to align with the amended executive order on face coverings that took effect on Saturday and clarifies that 6-foot distancing remains required in Level Green. Most notably for restaurants, the order lifts the ban on dance floors in restaurants and bars. State officials have stated that the dial is expected to be in effect until mid-April, at which point the State plans to retire the dial entirely and give control of capacity restrictions to local public health agencies.
Below is a breakdown of what this order does for restaurants:
* Lifts the ban on dance floors indoors in restaurants and bars. However, individuals from separate households must remain spaced 6 feet apart and dancing is limited to no more than six persons dancing together from the same party.
* Includes amended guidance regarding face coverings. As a reminder, here are the amendments to the mask mandate that went into effect on April 3:
* Regardless of a county's placement on the State's Dial 3.0, mask must be worn in schools (including for extracurricular activities), child care centers, indoor children’s camps, public-facing state government facilities, emergency medical and other healthcare settings (including hospitals, ambulance service centers, urgent care centers, non-ambulatory surgical structures, clinics, doctors’ offices, and non-urgent care medical structures), personal services (e.g. hair salons, nail salons, esthetician services, body art professionals, etc.) and limited health care settings as defined by Public Health Order (PHO) 20-36, congregate care facilities, prisons, and jails. This category does not include restaurants.
* In counties in Levels Blue, Yellow, Orange, Red, and Purple on the State's Dial 3.0 -- masks must also be worn in public indoor settings (including restaurants) where 10 or more unvaccinated individuals or individuals of unknown vaccination status are present. This indicates that in Level Green, masks are an optional precaution in public settings, except for in the environments listed above which require masks regardless of a county's COVID metrics.
* Guests of restaurants in Level Green would not be required to wear masks inside of the restaurant, unless a local municipality implements further mask guidance for public indoor spaces. In Level Green, it is up to the business's discretion whether or not to require restaurant employees to wear masks, unless required by a local public health order. Guests of restaurants in counties in Levels Blue, Yellow, Orange, Red, and Purple are still required to wear a mask inside of the restaurant when they are not seated at a table.
* Clarifies that 6 feet of distancing remains required in Level Green, although capacity restrictions are lifted.
* Updates to require only unseated, rather than seated, Indoor Events to be subject to the 50% capacity limit, not to exceed 500 people, in Level Green.
* Adds new paragraph authorizing seated Indoor Events in Level Green to operate at 100% capacity with 6-foot distancing, allowing seating of up to 10 people together including non-household members, and requiring organizers or operators of any such events that exceed 500 people to consult with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
* Clarifies that Bars in Level Blue may operate and are not required to sell or provide food.
Click here to read the full public health order.
Click here to read the summary of changes.
URGENT Federal Advocacy Tool: National Restaurant Association Impact Survey The National Restaurant Association's Research Group developed a brief survey designed to collect important data to inform ongoing federal advocacy activities on your behalf. Your responses will be key as we continue to work with U.S. legislators to advocate for continued relief funding for restaurants.
This survey will also be key for the National Restaurant Association's Public Affairs Conference Hill meetings.
Please respond now and help us continue to advocate for you! Respond to the survey here.
National Restaurant Association's Virtual Public Affairs Conference and Federal Update The National Restaurant Association’s 35th annual Public Affairs Conference is April 20, 2021, and you can register here !
Every spring, the restaurant industry comes together in Washington, D.C. to meet with Congress on issues impacting restaurants. And while we can’t meet in person this year, there has never been a more critical time for our industry to come together with one voice. We will be joining our National Restaurant Association partners as well as operators and employees from across the country to represent the restaurant industry.
With the new administration in D.C., and in light of the industry’s continued suffering during this unprecedented pandemic, our collective voice is needed now more than ever. We must educate our lawmakers—new and established—about the impact of COVID-19 on our industry and the steps Congress should (or shouldn’t) take to help us survive and eventually thrive once the pandemic passes.
The National Restaurant Association announced today that the primary sponsors for the unified RESTAURANTS ACT, Senator Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (D-PA), will be speaking at the conference, in addition to Rahm Emanuel and Dana Perino ! They will complement a robust agenda of political and business speakers talking about the post-pandemic environment in Washington and around the country.
If you want to know work is being done on your behalf at the federal level, click here to watch the National Restaurant Association's update video.
We hope you'll join us April 20!
Register here .
Create a Vaccination Plan With Our Guide Restaurant workers are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
While we are pushing for more industry-specific clinics, you do not need to wait for a clinic to be vaccinated. We have created a living guide for restaurant workers to navigate the vaccine rollout and ensure seamless appointment scheduling. View the vaccination guide here.
We encourage you to review the resources in this guide, register, and create a plan. You can find vaccine resources specific to your area on the CDPHE website here , find vaccine sites near you here, and mass vaccination clinics here.
Please note, only the Pfizer vaccine is available to people ages 16-18. The Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) and Moderna vaccines are only available for people above the age of 18, regardless of state qualification.
We will continue to update this document with resources and guidance including industry clinics, equity clinics in underserved communities, and mobile clinics the Governor announced this week, as we navigate getting employees vaccinated. Please contact us with questions at [email protected].
COVID-Era Practices Hospitality Employees Should Continue After the Pandemic - From Fisher Phillips As we begin to exit the public health crisis aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are beginning to think about how to transition our businesses. Our partners at Fisher Phillips released an article sharing their best advice for COVID-19 policies that should stay and those that should go:
"There is a viral Tweet/meme that has been circulating. It asks: “What’s the one thing you DON’T want to change post-COVID?” The famous response: “Standing 6 feet away from me.” Because we appreciate a good meme at Fisher Phillips, this got us thinking – while 2020 brought a complete upheaval to the way we have been doing business, what are the COVID-19 practices worth keeping or modifying, even as the economy continues to loosen and more of our population is inoculated against COVID-19?"
Click here to read the full article.
Register for Upcoming ServSafe Classes!
The Colorado Restaurant Foundation has resumed hosting ServSafe classes! In order to accommodate socially distanced classes, we are temporarily holding classes at SpringHill Suites Denver Downtown at MSU Denver. We will offer one ServSafe Food Manager Certification Course per month, and Alcohol Safety Certification Programs on demand.
As a reminder, all retail food establishments in Colorado must have at least one employee who is a Certified Food Protection Manager - those who pass the ServSafe Food Manager Certification Course exam qualify. This course teaches basic food safety concepts, and the exam has a 95% passage rate. Additionally, to continue to be qualified as a Responsible Vendor, all new employees involved in the sale, handling and service of alcoholic beverages must complete alcohol beverage safety training within 90 days of date of hire. The Alcohol Safety Certification Program qualifies.
Learn more about both of these classes here.
Upcoming ServSafe classes:
* Tuesday, April 27, from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
* Tuesday, May 25, from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
* Tuesday, June 29, from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
REGISTER HERE !
If you are interested in having staff attend the next Alcohol Safety Certification Program offered, please contact Courtney Baylie at [email protected].
Free At-Home COVID-19 Testing Available to Colorado Restaurant Employees The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is now offering free, at-home rapid COVID-19 testing to local food service employees and restaurant workers. Colorado is providing 2 million rapid Binax At-Home tests for eligible Coloradans to use, free of charge, while the state’s vaccination campaign progresses. This program is designed to provide easy access to testing with the goal of ensuring restaurants remain open, and employees feel safe at their place of work.
Sign-up is simple – employees can go to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Binax At-Home website, where they’ll be directed to fill out this Google form asking for basic information. Within 24 hours of filling out the form, employees should receive an email from CDPHE, which will include instructions and a link to order a test.
Upon receiving a test kit, individuals will log onto a telehealth portal and receive guided instruction by a trained representative from eMed, one of the nation’s leading digital health providers. Telehealth services are available in here .
These tests are available to all food services employees in Colorado with an email address.
We are proud of Colorado’s commitment to implement responsible, effective safety precautions to ensure our dedicated food service workers are protected. Please urge your employees to enroll now while testing is free and widely available!
Click here for more information, and click here to fill out the form to register.
Need Help With the Employee Retention Credit?
Make the most of the Employee Retention Credit. COVID-19 has cost you enough. Don’t pay more. Our partners at Henry+Horne bill by the hour, not a percentage of your credit. Go here to learn more. You can also reach out directly to Brian Campbell at [email protected] .
Thank you for your continued support, especially through this challenging time.
Sincerely,
Sonia Riggs, CRA President & CEO
P.S. If you were forwarded this email and wish to join our mailing list, you can opt in here.
Last updated April 5, 2021.
