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Many Colorado businesses still seeking guidance on how to reopen

Posted at 6:23 PM, May 27, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-28 00:59:33-04

AURORA, Colo. -- A sense of normalcy returned Wednesday as many restaurants across the state reopened for business, but there's still a number of closed businesses that are not thrilled waiting in limbo to see when their turn will come.

The waters are calm at Safe Splash Swim School in Aurora, which has been making waves trying to re-open, seeing other counties open up and wanting the same treatment.

“It’s been horrible. It’s absolutely been horrible,” Streamline Brands COO Paul Gerrard said. “Basically doing everything we can to convince the state health department that swim schools are safe."

They even created safety plans to show the state they were ready to open up.

“They wouldn’t respond to input, so that was really frustrating,” Gerrard said.

Pedal over to Rush Cycle in Denver and more of the same is happening there.

“We don’t know. I think that’s the biggest issue. We really just wanna have concrete information about when and how (to reopen),” Rush Cycle GM/Master Instructor Sarah Gee told Denver7.

They are ready to open, however they're told they can't.

Watching their neighbors being allowed to open in closer quarters isn't easy.

“It is frustrating to see other places open that can’t be as safe as what we can provide to people. Unlike a restaurant, I think we can sanitize and clean in a much more efficient way,” she said. “It’s very controlled. Especially on a bike. We don’t get off the bikes. Once the clients are in the room and on the bike that’s it,” Gee said.

And local officials in some places agree that it's not fair.

"When you're looking at different counties, it would be one thing if everyone is following the same rules. But that's not the case. So you are picking winners and losers,” Aurora City Councilwoman Francoise Bergan said.

Back at Swim Splash, Wednesday morning brought good news.

“We just got approval. What the state is allowing is personal training, so lessons in a swimming pool,” Gerrard said.

A small win as they and others want to get on the same playing field as everyone else.