Breckenridge, Colorado, USA ski resort town skyline Photo Credit: Sean Pavone (iStock).

Photo Credit: Sean Pavone (iStock).

If you're looking to plan a ski trip with your friends this year, you might need to be careful about who you invite. If your lodging party is headed to Summit County and made up of more than two households or more than 10 people, you could face big potential fines and possible jail time.

On November 5, Summit County Public Health released an amended and restated version of their COVID-19-related public health order. Among a number of restrictions and guidelines included in the order is one related to short-term lodging.

The order announced the following restriction: "No more than 10 individuals indoors and/or outdoors from no more than 2 households at short term lodging operations."

In other words, if you're renting lodging space for a ski trip, you're only able to include individuals from one other living space on your reservation. Lodge operators have been instructed to validate and confirm guest identity to ensure the rule is followed.

The order goes on to clarify that 'short term lodging' includes, but is not limited to, campgrounds, reserved campsites, hotels, motels, and short-term lodging services like AirBnB, timeshares, RV parks, lodges, and retreats.

Failure to comply with this restriction, or anything else included in the order, can result in a fine of up to $5,000 and up to 18 months of imprisonment in the county jail.

Other restrictions in the order include mandatory mask wearing in many public spaces, a 9:30 closure time for restaurants and bars, and a prohibition of public and private gatherings between 10 PM and 5 AM, among other things.

Summit County is home to a number of towns where ski tourism is popular, including Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Keystone, and Silverthorne.

The order was formally released just days before Colorado Governor Jared Polis asked Coloradans to cancel their social plans during upcoming weeks as cases, hospitalizations, and deaths related to COVID-19 have spiked.

As of November 11, Summit County had the third highest 'two-week cumulative incidence rate' of COVID-19 in the state, at 1,045.7 incidents per 100,000. (See a breakdown of all counties here).

See the full Summit County Public Health order here.

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