Decreased COVID restrictions might not bring big changes

The addition of the "purple" on the COVID dial last November made the six color levels more like stepping stones between safety level precautions, rather than jumps. With the recent downgrade to level yellow (concern), businesses in Niwot appear to be largely the same. The most notable difference is restaurants are allowed to have indoor dining.

"It's [COVID restrictions] definitely taken a toll," said a Winot Coffee employee. " I think that since the restrictions have been lowered, and having people inside, it's made a difference."

It seems that this decrease has come at just the right time. Over the summer and into the autumn, various businesses had outdoor events, notably the Niwot Tavern with outdoor music.

As Niwot resident Randy Cantu pointed out, "Now that cold weather's here, outdoor stuff's not as easy to do, so it's really timely that they're increasing indoors."

This sentiment is echoed by Old Oak Coffeehouse's Shy Goedl, who said that business has been very dependent on the weather.

"It's been kind of a struggle to find that balance between making sure we're having enough business to stay open and making sure we're prioritizing safety above all else," Goedl said.

She did voice her reservations-she hopes that people continue to seek the balance between business and safety, and not get so caught up in the decreased restrictions that people become more lax with masks and social distancing. "We still need to be focused on the priority of safety here, and just because we're open for indoor seating, it doesn't mean that everything's happy-go-lucky again."

She, like many other residents and business owners, remains hopeful. Since indoor seating seems to be the biggest change, few others expressed concerns. A Juniper & Twine employee said that since their business is mostly delivery-based, they aren't affected much by the changes in COVID levels.

"People can't see each other, so they've been sending flowers, that helps us out," said the employee. "I feel like, whether it [the dial] goes down or up, we're already participating in all of the restrictions."

Niwot High School athletic director Joe Brown said that the athletic department has been working to keep people safe, so even though indoor sports are now allowed to have spectators, the team's confident that the decreased restrictions will bring more good than anything else.

"We do everything to make it [sports games] the safest," said Brown. "We're looking for the continued change and we're working as diligently as possible to get back to normalcy."

Katherine Moore, founder of the Hidden Yoga Studio reiterated how little the dial decrease affects the studio. She said that they're still limited to 10 people in the space, so, with the exception of one outdoor class, all classes are remote.

"Safety is our first concern because we know we can still serve people online," she said. "Once we get into green, then we'll begin having in-person classes at the studio, with some restrictions. It hasn't dropped far enough for us to feel comfortable to get everybody together."

That seems to be the sticking point among many community members. While there's hope for a near future with more vaccines and fewer restrictions, Niwot shouldn't rush into it. Pastor Emily Kintzel of the Niwot United Methodist Church also reiterated this point, saying that she hopes people don't decrease their diligence.

The church is yet another example of a slow return to normalcy. It hosted a few small youth gatherings, as well as an open house today from 11:30 until 6 p.m. for Ash Wednesday. "Remember to keep a watch on the numbers," she said. "Keeping perspective is important because everyone's doing the best they can... While we're in the yellow zone, we need to be cautious."