Coronavirus Closures Ending Too Soon? Some Colorado Businesses 'Scared To Death' About Reopening
DENVER (CBS4) - Gov. Jared Polis announced Monday that certain businesses will be allowed to re-open with precautions as Colorado's stay-at-home order comes to an end. While many workers who've been going without a paycheck are anxious for businesses to open, many fear the order is ending too soon.
Becky Comstedt, president of the Colorado Dental Hygienist Association, says many dental hygienists are not prepared for offices to open at full operation.
"We're working so close to somebody's mouth, for an extended period of time. The offices that are opening on Monday may not be ready with the PPE," said Comstedt.
Comstedt says the majority of dental offices open during the pandemic were only accepting emergency appointments. Elective dental services will be allowed when the governor's less restrictive safer-at-home plan goes into place next week.
"Our patients who need dental care the most are the ones who have underlying conditions. They're the ones who are still supposed to be staying at home," said Comstedt.
While some dental offices have enough personal protective equipment to last for a few weeks, Comstedt says it won't last for long with the current PPE supply chain. She fears the lack of PPE will lead to offices closing again, or worse, hygienists reducing the amount of protective equipment used.
Many dental hygienists have filed for unemployment during the coronavirus pandemic. CBS4 received a message from another dental hygienist in Colorado who says many are prepared to return to work:
"I just wanted you to know that [Comstedt] is only speaking for half of the thousands of hygienists in Colorado. The other half of us do want to go back to work ASAP, and we do have proper PPE."
A state contracted emissions worker, who wishes to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation, says he doesn't believe PPE will arrive before he's asked to return to work.
"They didn't even supply us with any kind of PPE before all this closed down. Our station manager had to go out of his own pocket and buy it himself," said the emissions worker.
He says people in his line of work come in contact with countless people, touching the inside of hundreds of cars every day. He's not getting paid during the stay-at-home order, but the risk of going back without the proper PPE isn't worth a paycheck.
"If we're not protected, we're going to be the ones in the hospital next," he said, "I'm scared to death."
Polis said Monday that about 70% of state workers have been able to telecommute during the stay at home order. Colorado's stay-at-home order is set to expire on April 26.