COVID-19 Preparedness Plan
Continental Divide Winery is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for all our workers and guests. To facilitate this goal, we have developed the following COVID-19 Preparedness Plan to mitigate the potential for transmission of COVID-19 in our workplaces and community.
Employee involvement has been essential in developing successful COVID-19 policies and this plan takes into consideration all of the excellent suggestions staff shared with us and follows recommendations from Federal, state and local authorities.
Personal protective equipment
Our masks protect you. Your masks protect us. All personnel working at the winery will wear face masks at all times, and guests are required to wear face masks when inside our interior spaces (except when tasting wine or eating) and on our outdoor patio when interacting with our staff or within six feet of other persons. Signs should be posted on all tables reminding guests to wear masks when interacting with our staff. Winery staff will wash hands frequently and wear gloves whenever cleaning or sanitizing.
Modification of our tasting rooms
We have developed a separate plan for each of our tasting rooms recognizing the unique physical layout and space in each location. In both tasting rooms, interior seating areas have been reduced and outdoor seating has been added. Guests are encouraged to utilize our outdoor areas. Tables must be positioned to allow 6' of space between tables (or 8' if chairs are back to back). Guests with symptoms of COVID-19 or exposure to anyone suspected of having COVID-19 in the past 14 days may not enter.
Inside both tasting rooms plexiglass hanging shields run the length of the bars to separate staff from guests. We are reducing the capacity of the tasting bars by blocking off areas between tasters to ensure social distancing. Floor stickers identify designated tasting areas. Bar service will only reopen when allowed by local and state regulations.
We are also adding retail wine displays in both locations to serve visitors who want to purchase wine or merchandise to go.
Screening employees and guests for symptoms of COVID-19
All employees temperatures are checked before work and employees who have a fever or any symptom of COVID-19 are prohibited from working or entering the winery.
Continuous sanitizing of our winery and tasting rooms
Enhanced infection prevention measures are being implemented at our workplaces at all times. All staff are instructed to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water at least once every 30 minutes and we have hand sanitizer available.
New tasting room procedures
Our tasting rooms are using disposable paper menus.
To minimize close contact between staff and customers, we are reorganizing our tasting flights with all wines delivered simultaneously in separate cups. Our staff are, of course, available to answer any questions from a distance of at least six feet.
Social distancing
Out tasting room modifications are all intended to increase social distancing. We are encouraging guests to sit outside (weather permitting) and have adding significant outdoor seating at both locations. Importantly, we are limiting the number of tasting groups and people allowed inside either tasting room at any one time. By state law no groups larger than 6 people may be seated together inside in Summit County and no more than 10 people seated outside. Group size is limited to 10 people inside or outside in Park County. Per local and state health regulations, a seated group must be from no more than two households.
For winemaking and bottling operations our staff wear masks and gloves whenever in the winery building.
Other steps we are taking
We will utilize disposable plastic liners which slip over our iPad POS systems and we will utilize contactless POS as soon as it is available so that guests can pay without ever touching our POS terminal. This Preparedness Plan has being distributed to all staff and we have conducted a training session to ensure all personnel are familiar with our COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. This Plan may be updated as necessary.
