Park City Mountain Resort owner Vail Resorts on Monday lifted the requirement that people wear face coverings inside or when riding in a gondola car, a measure that had been key to the resort’s efforts to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic.
PCMR in a statement said the requirement remains intact in locations where public health measures require coverings and in places where the community level of the coronavirus is rated high. The rating was medium in Summit County at the beginning of the workweek, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC bases mask-wearing guidance on the community level numbers. The CDC rated another metric, community transmission, however, as high in Summit County at the beginning of the workweek.
The requirement was lifted at PCMR with approximately six weeks left in the ski season, which is scheduled to end April 17. The requirement was seen as a crucial coronavirus-fighting step during the current ski season as well as the previous one, which was the first full ski season of the pandemic.
As a result of the change, face coverings are not required in locations like PCMR restaurants, retailers, ski-rental locations, lodging properties and the base areas. PCMR said face coverings remain required on shuttles and buses based on guidance from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“Vail Resorts’ and Park City Mountain’s commitment to safety continues to be at the center of everything we do,” the statement said, adding, “We thank all of our guests and employees for their continued understanding and cooperation as we work together to provide a safe and enjoyable mountain experience for all.”
The statement acknowledged policies could change “based on the evolving nature of the pandemic as well as federal, state, and local public health guidelines.”
PCMR employees must continue wearing face coverings in common areas and in inside locations where they interact with guests. They will not be required to wear them in areas that are for designated for employees only.
The resort also said proof of vaccination for guests remains required for cafeteria-style dining.
PCMR at the start of the 2020-2021 ski season introduced a series of measures designed to protect public health in the months after the pandemic forced an early end to the 2019-2020 ski season.
Deer Valley Resort on Feb. 21, meanwhile, shifted its policy from requiring face masks to strongly recommending them for guests who are in inside spaces, including cafeterias. Deer Valley on Tuesday is expected to drop a requirement that most staffers wear masks inside and replace that policy with one that instead strongly recommends mask wearing by staffers. Deer Valley is also scheduled to finish the ski season on April 17.
The decisions by Vail Resorts and PCMR, and Deer Valley, are of particular interest in the community since they have such large footprints as employers and drivers of the tourism industry. The alteration of the policies could influence others as March, which is an important month in the ski industry, starts. There are expected to be heavy spring-break crowds arriving over the next three to four weeks before the tourism numbers typically drop at the beginning of April.
The ski industry is nearing the end of the second full season of the pandemic era. Numbers in the industry in Utah set a record in the 2020-2021 ski season as people sought outside activities with the coronavirus spreading. It is not known whether the current ski season is approaching the record numbers from last winter, but there have been large crowds in the Park City area throughout much of the time since the start of the holiday stretch in late December.
More information about PCMR safety protocols are available at: parkcitymountain.com/explore-the-resort/about-the-resort/winter-experience.aspx. More information about Deer Valley safety protocols are available at: deervalley.com/about-us/covid-operations.