Inching back to normal: Locals respond to new public health guidelines

When the Center for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed the mask wearing mandate for fully vaccinated individuals, it caught many people off guard. Nonetheless, state and local authorities, including Colorado and Boulder County health officials, followed suit.

As of May 16, Boulder County moved to "level clear" status on the simplified COVID-19 public safety dial. This meant that based on public health order 2021-04, businesses would be able to operate for a 90-day period with no pandemic-related health restrictions unless they chose to implement some of their own accord.

Following this change, business owners were left with the complicated task of determining how they were going to balance customer service needs with what they believe to be appropriate health considerations. Individuals also were left to determine what was right for themselves and loved ones.

Just as transition decisions are taking place nationwide, they're also happening locally. Hannah Carlson is general manager at The Old Oak Coffeehouse on 2nd Avenue. "We have added more tables back into the coffee shop, which is exciting and a step towards making things feel somewhat back to normal," she said. "We are still requiring masks up at the counter. Our live music on Saturdays and Sundays is still taking place outside."

A flyer near the entrance to Old Oak expresses some of the difficulty the shop is experiencing as it determines how to proceed. "New federal guidance on mask wearing is putting businesses and local officials in a tough spot." The flyer goes on to quote health experts, business leaders, and labor leaders who believe the new guidance is too ambiguous and are concerned about inconsistencies in how health guidance is applied across sectors in a community."

Carlson said most customers are appreciative of the coffee shop's desire to maintain safer practices. "Ninety-five percent of customers are respectful and appreciative, which does not go unnoticed," she said. "The other five percent show signs of frustration. This is completely understandable."

She added, "We are going to be making changes slowly in order to try to keep staff and customers safe. We still have a few staff members that haven't reached the two weeks after their second vaccination and we most definitely want to respect that time frame for them."

Leigh Suskin, partner/owner of Little Shops of Niwot in Cottonwood Square shared some of her experiences with managing through the recent changes. "Since our opening day during the pandemic, none of our small business owners had met each other without masks. Everyone works once a month in the shops and appreciates each other's visions...but now we've been able to see whole faces. It feels so warm and supportive to be unmasked for those who have been vaccinated."

Dr. Patti Ashley, PhD, LBC, of Authenticity Architects, practices psychotherapy in Niwot. For her, "No matter how much each individual was affected by COVID, everyone had to adjust to something out of the ordinary. That means their autonomic nervous system response (ANS) -- the fight, flight, or freeze response that gets activated under stress -- likely went into overdrive. Now, as things open up, people are feeling a bit confused or hesitant about moving back into the pre-covid world."

"Furthermore, mixed feelings from people about the vaccine, and fears of other variants make some people question how safe it is to return to a mask-less environment. That also activates ANS and possibly causes less productivity and ease," she said

Ashley suggests that mindfulness practice can be one way to address the ANS results from stressors. "This doesn't have to take a lot of time. Even 10 to 15 minutes a day can do the trick. It sends signals to the body letting it know things are safe and not in imminent danger."

She also suggested other strategies, such as paying attention to your feelings and engaging in creative expression to move stressful emotions out of the body. These kinds of activities calm the mind and feed the soul.

Ashley also urges people to pay attention to what they need to help them feel safe going back to work and to life. "If you want to wear a mask and stay three to six feet apart for a while longer, then do so. And respect others who prefer to do that as well. But don't isolate yourself. We're wired for connection and getting back into relationships with others is important."