San Juan County is transitioning to Gov. Jared Polis’ more relaxed “safer-at-home” measures Friday, but that doesn’t mean the backcountry around Silverton or the town itself will be open to visitors.
Within Polis’ new public health order is an enforceable mandate that says Colorado residents are not allowed to travel more than 10 miles from their homes for outdoor recreational purposes.
Silverton – nearly 50 miles from Durango and 25 miles from Ouray, the nearest towns – would effectively still be off limits to outside visitors, town officials say.
“San Juan County still prohibits visitors,” said Sheriff Bruce Conrad. “We take it very seriously. We haven’t come this far to give it up now.”
On March 24 – two days before Polis’ stay-at-home order – San Juan County Public Health Director Becky Joyce enacted a public health order that prohibited outside visitors and unnecessary travel into the small mountain town north of Durango. It was one of the strictest in the state.
The policy, initially called a “locals only” policy, met resistance from some members of the public because it prohibited nonessential travel into the county, effectively closing off public lands to recreation.
But officials in San Juan County maintained the public health order was enforceable, though Conrad said last week he’s only issued a few warnings and has not had to write a ticket.
San Juan County officials maintain the self-isolation of the town is working.
As of Wednesday, San Juan County remains one of just eight counties in the state without a confirmed case of coronavirus, in part because of the restrictive measures but also because the community has been unable to test until recently. Joyce said in a previous interview it is likely the virus is present to some degree in the community.
As Polis sought to relax restrictions related to the coronavirus, Silverton officials said last week they would operate on their own timeline for reopening. Now, however, it appears the town is in lock-step with the state.
San Juan County’s own policy expired Thursday, and the county will adopt Polis’ order effective Friday. The order remains in effect through May 27, which will cover the Memorial Day weekend. It’s possible, too, the order may be extended.
“We thought we were going to have to come out with an order stricter than the state’s,” Joyce said Wednesday. “But after reading it, it just felt very protective in nature, so we decided to just go with that.”
While the “safer-at-home” directives are intended to ease guidelines in an attempt to reopen the economy, the new set of rules appear stricter on outdoor recreation than the previous stay-at-home order, which did not limit the distance people could travel for that purpose.
Polis and state health officials say traveling for outdoor recreation puts small mountain communities at risk, which were some of the hardest hit during the early days of the coronavirus outbreak.
“You made the sacrifice of staying at home for 32 days,” Polis said during a news conference Monday. “I think you can make the sacrifice of going to your second or third favorite park for another month.”
According to the “safer-at-home” order, Colorado residents are limited to “recreational travel to no further than 10 miles from their residence.” However, the order also says “travel for recreational purposes should be limited to your own community, like your county of residence,” presenting a conflicting scenario for people who live near county lines.
Ian Dickson, a spokesman with Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, wrote in an email that there is flexibility in the orders because it is not practical for every part of the state.
“We are asking Coloradans to follow the orders and not try to find loopholes,” he said. “Like the governor has said time and again, we are in a pandemic, not on a vacation. Traveling outside of 10 miles for recreation can stress hospitals in smaller communities.”
The “safer-at-home” order goes on to say it will “be enforced by all appropriate legal means. Local authorities are encouraged to determine the best course of action to encourage maximum compliance. Failure to comply with this order could result in penalties, including jail time and fines.”
Conrad said his deputies will enforce Polis’ order similar to San Juan County’s own public health order, giving people a chance first to comply.
“We are slowly turning the tap to allow for business owners to come in with strict guidelines and prep for future visitor allowance,” he said.
Joyce said the safer-at-home order allows for a slower, staggered transition to start allowing people back into town. For now, seasonal residents, second homeowners and business owners who only operate in the summer can return.
But it will be a different landscape, Joyce said, than the Silverton filled with recreationists and tourists from the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which remains shut down.
“We’re welcoming back our business owners with open arms,” she said. “But we don’t know how they are going to handle it coming back. We’re pretty much still a ghost town.”
Other measures in San Juan County include:
Returning residents are advised to quarantine for two weeks.Businesses that open will be required to make employees wear face masks, follow social-distancing guidelines and frequently wash hands.Construction, real estate, landscaping and other noncritical business may reopen with guidance.People leaving Silverton no longer must quarantine upon their return. Instead, they are asked to wear masks, social distance and wash hands.Limit travel to necessary travel only.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
Returning residents are advised to quarantine for two weeks.Businesses that open will be required to make employees wear face masks, follow social-distancing guidelines and frequently wash hands.Construction, real estate, landscaping and other noncritical business may reopen with guidance.People leaving Silverton no longer must quarantine upon their return. Instead, they are asked to wear masks, social distance and wash hands.Limit travel to necessary travel only.
A previous version of this story erred in describing the quarantine requirements for residents returning to Silverton.
