GOLDEN, Colorado — Now that the pandemic has moved into a less acute and more manageable phase, and cities and towns in Colorado race to reassemble a pre-COVID life, some are asking whether the way it was needs to necessarily be the way it should be.
Outdoor dining proved a lifeline for restaurants and bars forced to adhere to government COVID-19 restrictions on indoor gatherings, and in Golden, the city’s recent decision to re-open Miner’s Alley to vehicles for the first time in two years — and close it to drinkers and diners — has some crying foul.
“Outdoor dining is a national trend, it’s based on what people want and what businesses need,” said Aimee Valdez, who along with her husband has owned Miners Saloon on Miner’s Alley for a half dozen years. “Why are we the only town that is bucking the trend?”
