California puts "dimmer switch" on reopening - Many South Lake Tahoe businesses affected

California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered all counties in California to close indoor restaurants, bars, movie theaters and wineries as the state combats a surge in coronavirus cases. A list of 30 counties has further restrictions.

"We are moving back into a modification mode of stay at home orders," said Newsom in his Monday press conference. "It's a dimmer switch, not on or off."

He said they are looking at conditions and trendlines, both which are becoming points of concern.

All counties in the state, including El Dorado County, must close the following indoor activities effective Monday:

Inside restaurant dining
Winery tasting rooms
Zoos
Theaters
Museums
Bars

All bars must close (indoor and outdoors), indoor restaurants, wineries, movie theaters, family entertainment, zoos, museums, and card rooms must close.

All 30 counties on the state's monitoring list have further directives:

Fitness businesses
Churches
Offices for noncritical workers
Personal care .- hair salons, nails, massages
Indoor malls

The 30 counties on the monitoring list represent 80 percent of the state's population. Placer County is there along with Sacramento, Colusa, Contra Costa, Fresno, Glenn, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Merced, Napa, Orange, Riverside, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, Santa Barbara, Solano, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tulare, Yolo, Yuba, and Ventura counties.

Masks are still required to be worn in outside and inside in the state.

Newsom said he and state health officials are concerned with the current trends of increasing cases and hospitalizations on the rise in rural counties.

"This virus is not going away anytime soon," said Newsom. "It doesn't take off summers or weekends, even in areas where its over 100 degrees."

Many rumors have been spread nationally that the virus dies outside in the sunshine, but that has not proven to be the case.

Newsom stressed how important testing for COVID-19 is. He said they are trying to get all tested. Those who have been found to be positive can self-quarantine.

South Lake Tahoe testing is available at Lake Tahoe Community College for those without symptoms, as well as CVS in El Dorado Hills and a new testing site in Placerville. Alpine County has set aside testing dates at Kirkwood and the Bear Valley area.

To find the closest testing site, and for more on the California response to COVID-19, visit https://covid19.ca.gov/.