'Simply Not Ready': Summit County Extends Ban On Short-Term Rentals Through May

SUMMIT COUNTY (CBS4) -- Summit County has issued an amended public health order, prohibiting short-term lodging through May 31 to continue COVID-19 mitigation.

"The amendment aligns with guidance from the State of Colorado that a stabilization period will require continued social distancing measures in the months ahead," officials stated.

"We're simply not ready to welcome our visitors back to Summit County yet," Summit County Public Health Director Amy Wineland said. "Our community has been under some extremely severe restrictions, and we've been successful in establishing good social distancing. We don't want all our hard work and sacrifice to be wasted by throwing our doors open and inviting in a new wave of infection."

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All lodging businesses, including hotels, motels, timeshares and short-term rentals (e.g., Airbnb, VRBO) are required to be closed, except to members of the local workforce using lodging units as residences. All lodging businesses are prohibited from taking any new reservations for dates sooner than June 1.

Owners of short-term rentals must block out their online reservation calendars on all relevant platforms through May 31, 2020, in order to avoid inadvertently taking reservations for stays that would occur during the prohibited period.

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