"Tri-County Health Department has reached an agreement with all five restaurants that we closed on Monday and therefore have rescinded the closure orders for those establishments," according to a Nov. 25 emailed statement from the health deparment. "Our goal is to achieve compliance in order to prevent the spread of COVID, and we worked closely with the owners of each restaurant with a shared goal of helping them to reopen safely."

The restaurants sent the order to close on Nov. 23, according to Tri-County: The Whiskey Lodge in Castle Rock; The Library Co. Bar & Kitchen in Castle Rock; The Office Bar & Kitchen in Castle Rock; The Gym Co. in Parker; and Tailgate Tavern in Parker.

“These are all establishments that have received lots and lots and lots of complaints,” Jennifer Ludwig, Tri-County’s deputy director, said in a meeting with county commissioners Nov. 24. “They’ve received warning letters, one received a cease-and-desist order saying you must comply with the orders, and they did not.”

The health department also received multiple complaints from other restaurants that were complying with the order, she said.

“We were getting a ton of calls from all the other restaurants that were complying, saying, ‘This is hurting our business. This is hurtful for all of us but everybody needs to follow the orders or else it hurts those of us who are complying, it hurts us more,'” Ludwig said.

Each closure order was marked as “effective immediately,” according to the orders.

When asked by County Commissioner Lora Thomas if Tri-County had any evidence that these restaurants had contributed to the spread of COVID-19, Ludwig explained that while she didn’t have information on these exact locations, contact tracing efforts show that many people in the county have visited restaurants before testing positive for the virus.

“It’s seen as a higher risk area ... because of not wearing a mask, you’re sharing food, you’re talking loudly,” she said.

The orders also noted that owners who did not comply could be charged with a misdemeanor and face a fine of up to $5,000 and 18 months of jail time.