Colorado is loosening some restrictions on people’s movement starting this week as the state enters a new phase of its battle against the new coronavirus, but travel for outdoor recreation is one area that’s not being relaxed. In fact, there may actually be stricter limits in place for people seeking some fresh air. Gov. Jared […]
Vail
Posted inBusiness, News
Colorado’s economy is about to restart — slowly — but will customers follow?
Whenever Sadie Russo finally reboots her French bakery in Arvada and her café and dessert bar in Denver, she’ll remove some tables to allow for social distancing. She and her employees will wear gloves and masks, even though she hates concealing her favorite confection — smiles. Another life-saving strategy learned from the coronavirus shutdown not […]
Posted inNews, Outdoors
Vail chairlift attendant wasn’t paying attention during skier’s suffocation, report says
VAIL — A Colorado ski lift operator was not paying attention when a New Jersey man suffocated after his coat got caught on the lift and kept him from breathing, authorities said in a report. Jason Varnish, 46, died of positional asphyxia at Vail Mountain’s Blue Sky Basin area Feb. 13, the Eagle County coroner […]
Posted inUncategorized
Vail, Beaver Creek patrollers are trading in their skis for ambulance keys in Eagle County’s coronavirus fight
EDWARDS — Chris Montera’s team at Eagle County Paramedic Services began planning for COVID-19 response in early February, well before the county emerged as an epicenter for the virus. As they sketched out worst-case scenarios, the first responders and emergency medical technicians kept returning to one question: “What if we get sick?” “So we started […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News
How the closure of two Vail restaurants shows coronavirus’ domino effect on the food-service economy
EDWARDS — The cows are calving, and of course they come during a surprise blizzard. “That one there about froze to the ground last night,” says Mike Eaton, pointing to a calf huddling in the mud beneath his mother’s hooves as the morning sun melts spring snow. Eaton is dumping fresh hay on a trailer […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News
Man who delighted Vail apres-ski crowds for decades dies from coronavirus; El Paso County man also killed by disease
By Randy Wyrick, The Vail Daily The pandemic sweeping the globe has claimed the life of a Vail musical icon. Rod Powell, who delighted apres-ski crowds for decades in Vail with his musical talents, died on Saturday morning from complications of the new coronavirus. He is the fifth person in Colorado to be killed by […]
Posted inCOVID, Opinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: I’m the mayor of Vail — and now I have coronavirus, too
You’ve heard the message from public health experts near and far: COVID-19 has no borders or boundaries. I can now attest to that personally: I have tested positive and am in isolation. In following the protocols to notify those I’ve been in contact with, I’ve been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support that has been […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News
Thousands of seasonal workers told to leave their housing as Vail Resorts ends ski season early
VAIL — When Vail Resorts early Tuesday announced it was closing its North American ski resorts for the season because of the new coronavirus, hundreds of workers in Eagle and Summit counties also learned they had 10 days to vacate their employee housing. “It kind of sucks how they are kicking us out with all […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News
This is how much Colorado’s mountain communities stand to lose without skiing, restaurants, bars and lodging
Skiers in Colorado’s mountain towns spend big money in March and early April. A Colorado Sun analysis of taxable sales in 13 ski towns over the past two years shows residents and visitors spending more than $500 million in the last two months of ski season. But with resorts ordered closed for at least the […]
Posted inCOVID, News
Coronavirus is running so rampant in Colorado’s mountains residents, visitors should “minimize all contact with other people”
UPDATED: This file was updated at 2:02 p.m. on March 16, 2020, to include the rates of COVID-19 infection in four Colorado mountain counties. People who recently visited or live in four mountain counties of Colorado should “minimize their contact with other people” because the new coronavirus is spreading so rampantly in those areas, state […]