Estes Park to close hotels, motels and vacation rentals for 4 weeks during coronavirus

Hotels, motels and vacation rentals in Estes Park have been ordered to close their doors Monday as health and town officials seek to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“We have seen how fast this virus can spread in resort communities throughout our state,” town administrator Travis Machalek said in a statement Sunday, adding that he believed the order by the town and the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment was necessary “to protect the health and safety of the residents of Estes Park.”

The restrictions start at noon Monday and last through April 17, according to a statement from the town. The move follows the closure of Rocky Mountain National Park last week, a move that had been called for by both the county health department and Estes Park Mayor Todd Jirsa.

Both efforts are an attempt to limit visitors to the town, which saw its first positive coronavirus test on Thursday. The restrictions on accommodations exclude local workers, long-term residents of short-term facilities and those who are sick or quarantined.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision,” Machalek said in the statement. “I am fully conscious of the impacts these actions have on businesses and their employees…Our friends and neighbors are affected, but everyone’s health comes first.”

Estes Park joins a growing list of communities heavily reliant on tourism that have closed major industries, attractions and accommodations in a bid to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

Gunnison, Summit and San Miguel counties have similarly shut down their short-term accommodations.

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