The Boulder County Five Star Certification Program Administrative Committee announced today that applications are now live for businesses across Boulder County to apply for the much-anticipated variance program.

The Colorado Five Star Certification Program is designed to allow certified businesses (inspected and compliant with the program’s criteria) to operate one level below the county’s current state COVID dial level if the county meets specific benchmarks of COVID-19 impact in the county.

For a business to qualify for the program, it must demonstrate that it has implemented all the required public health measures to help protect customers and staff from contracting COVID-19 and be inspected by the Five Star program staff.

The announcement of the launch of Boulder County’s Five Star Certification Program coincides with Friday’s announcement by the Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE) and Governor Jared Polis that a new state COVID Dial 2.0 would go into effect over the weekend, moving Boulder County into Yellow on the dial starting February 6th and allowing businesses in the county to begin operating under the eased restrictions of that level on the dial.

The dial change announcement allowing businesses to begin opening at greater capacity is a testament to how Boulder businesses and residents have done their jobs to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The Boulder County Five Star Administrative Committee is encouraging Boulder County businesses to pursue Five Star Certification, in part, to aid in keeping the county moving in the right direction.

In addition to supporting further reduction in the spread of the virus, Five Star Certification signals to a business’s staff and customers their commitment to keeping Boulder County safe. An additional benefit of Five Star Certification for Boulder County businesses is the assurance that should the county move back up the dial – into Orange or Red – certified businesses will be able to continue to operate one level down on the dial.

Businesses operating in counties moving to Yellow after Friday’s COVID Dial 2.0 announcement will not be able to operate in Blue until 70% of 70-year-olds in Colorado are vaccinated, which is expected by the end of the month. Once this happens, Boulder County Five Star Certified businesses could be among the first in Colorado allowed to operate in the Blue level.

Ultimately, Friday’s COVID Dial 2.0 update rewards Five Star Certified businesses by giving them the opportunity to move down the dial when eligible and protects them if Boulder County moves back up the dial.

Information on how to apply for Five Star Certification is posted on Boulder County’s Five Star Certification Program website. This website is available in English and Spanish, and provides instructional videos, sample inspection checklists, and resources for businesses interested in applying for the Five Star program.

To ensure equitable access to the Boulder County Five Star Certification Program, the Administrative Committee has set up the BoCo Five Star Fund to make available grants for businesses unable to afford the $100 program application fee and grants to cover the cost of implementation of any public health measures required to receive certification. Businesses needing financial support to pursue Five Star Certification are encouraged to submit their certification application. Businesses will be provided a link to apply for BoCo Five Star funding once their application has been submitted.

Anyone interested in supporting the BoCo Five Star Fund with a financial contribution can donate at https://info.longmont.org/boco5starfund.

The Boulder County Five Star Administrative Committee continues to seek program volunteers to serve as on-site inspectors at certifying businesses. Volunteers can be individual community members interested in supporting the program or employees of businesses willing to donate their employees’ time to the program. Details about volunteer opportunities can be found on the Boulder County Five Star program website.