Dozens of Loveland businesses are worried about Larimer County stepping up its pandemic restrictions.

The 78 signatories of a letter to Gov. Jared Polis say increasing to red-level guidelines would deliver an economic blow from an already wobbly business community.

At a press conference Tuesday, Polis said restaurant owners who shirk the stricter state health orders could lose their license to operate, while scores have closed permanently or for good because of shutdowns and economic collapse.

He said “a few bad actors” shouldn’t jeopardize the rest, and the special session he’s called for next week will provide needed help to “good actors” in the business community.

“A ground swell of good standing members of my community are not a few bad actors, Mr. Governor,” state Sen. Rob Woodward, a Republican from Loveland, said in a statement Wednesday. “They are small business owners who have put their blood, sweat and tears into their shops, restaurants and breweries. They are hardworking people who will lose their livelihood if another shutdown occurs. How dare you call them bad actors, when all they are trying to do is have a voice, have a say in the conversation that literally determines their fate and the fate of their employees.

“Furthermore, taking a heavy hand and immediately threatening to take their licenses away demonstrates your inability to collaborate, Mr. Governor, on COVID regulations. Now is not the time to make disparaging remarks about Loveland community members who are fighting for economic survival. Let’s come together and find solutions that can keep our community safe, without putting hundreds out of work right before the holidays.”

Woodward said he organized a bipartisan letter from all six Larimer County legislators asking the governor and county commission to allow small businesses to get certifications that go above and beyond safety protocols in order to increase capacity. 

The special session beginning Monday is expected to provide economic relief to restaurants and other small businesses, as well as a relief package for displaced workers, the governor’s office pointed out Wednesday. 

“The Governor agrees with Senator Woodward that this is a very difficult time for the restaurant industry and its workers,” Polis press secretary Conor Cahill said in an email. “That’s why the Governor has called a special session to provide extraordinary measures for financial support for one of Colorado’s most important industries. It is difficult for restaurants to get through this period with outdoor dining, take out, and delivery, and the Governor encourages his fellow Coloradans to support their local restaurant and order in.

“But the grim reality is we are at the worst point in this pandemic that Colorado and the United States has ever been, [with] the most hospitalizations and deaths increasing daily. Extraordinary action is needed today if we want to try and prevent both exceeding our health care capacity and avoiding a shutdown. As challenging as this moment is for our restaurants, the vaccine is on the horizon and better days are ahead.”

The Loveland businesses signing the letter are part of an organization called Small Business for a Healthy Loveland, which was created in response to the ever-deepening pandemic restrictions.

The new state red level prohibits restaurants from providing indoor seating; further limits people inside a gym, place of worship or workplace; and closes indoor event centers.

Under the yellow level, restaurants, indoor event centers and churches could seat up to 50% capacity.

Meanwhile, Weld County’s intentions to disregard the red-level order drew criticism from a prominent labor union Wednesday.

UFCW Local 7 Essential Workers said it has thousands of members there, including 3,000 members at the JBS meat processing plant in Greeley and about 200 members at five major grocery chain stores in the county.

“The COVID-19 pandemic will not just go away in Weld County if local government does not take action now,” Kim Cordova, the president of UFCW Local 7, said in a statement. “UFCW Local 7, our members, and their families in Weld County, have already learned that the hard way. This spring Weld County was slow and negligent in implementing the necessary safety protocols to stop the spread of the coronavirus, which led to a deadly outbreak resulting in six unnecessary deaths of our members, over 300 members sick, and many families who continue to face hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills and lost wages.

“With a new outbreak at the JBS plant, JBS corporate headquarters, and across Weld County, we demand that the government of Weld County put politics aside and adhere to the ‘Level Red’ guidance or many more people will get sick and die, especially Essential Workers. Our members and communities have suffered enough at the hands of negligent leadership. It is time to govern in the best interest of the citizens you represent.”