pandemic

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is implementing fire restrictions earlier than usual this year to reduce the number of human-caused fires and reduce firefighter exposure to COVID-19 during the current pandemic. The Humboldt-Toiyabe will enact fire restrictions prohibiting campfires and smoking outside of vehicles starting on April 15 and going until May 31, or until rescinded.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - You can add the 27th annual Renaissance Festival to the list of event casualties brought about by the novel coronavirus. Add the 71st annual Highway 50 Wagon Train and two long-running events will be taking the year 2020 off.

It’s been three weeks since the coronavirus shut down most of Tahoe, South Shore and North, abruptly putting a huge number of families in crisis.

Many were already living paycheck to paycheck, and now their paychecks have disappeared. It could be months before many citizens here earn money again. Even when businesses re-open, the tourism industry here will likely be deeply depressed long afterward.

Location

STATELINE, Nev. - The Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) is rolling out zero-fare bus service on the South Shore starting Sunday, April 12.

While they already had plans in place for a free system to help eliminate traffic, the rollout is sooner than expected in order to make travel safer in response to COVID-19 by eliminating fare exchanges between drivers and riders.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It has been a few weeks (though it may seem like months) since business shut their doors, nonessential workers were asked to stay home and nonessential travel came to a screeching halt in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus and COVID-19.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Working closely with state and county health agencies in a regional response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barton Health is preparing for an anticipated patient surge by more than doubling its hospital bed capacity as well as expanding its facilities to accommodate patients who may be infected by the virus.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Barton Hospital would like 1000 face shields for staff during the coronavirus pandemic, and a South Lake Tahoe couple has taken on the challenge. With about 100 masks a week they are in search of help from the community in their 3D printing efforts.

Keith and Linda Cloutier, owners of Rudy's Plumbing and Heating, are currently in production of the masks. Since a 3D printer takes about 3.5 hours to print one face shield, Keith is asking for community members who have a 3D printer to join him so they can get more shields to Barton.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Support of local businesses is important during these trying times, and a website has been created to give users up-to-date information on those open to the public during the coronavirus pandemic.

Visit https://tahoe.is/ for a complete list.

This list is updated by the business owners as things change.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South and West Shore, including Meyers, South Lake Tahoe, Meeks Bay, Tahoma, and the Echo Summit area. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at the time of the story.

Last Week's Report - http://southtahoenow.com/story/03/29/2020/el-dorado-county-sheriffs-report

This Week's Report

3/29

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Barton Health continues to adapt and respond to the spread of coronavirus COVID-19 in the community. The health and safety of patients and care providers is the top priority, and operational changes continue to evolve at Barton Memorial Hospital and across Barton’s coordinated network of medical offices in preparation for any potential surge in patient care.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - What was originally forecast to be a sunny and mild weekend has changed into one that is calling for two different storms bringing heavy snow to the greater Lake Tahoe area.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Governor Newsom said it was a possibility two weeks ago, California’s schools chief Tony Thurmond recommended the state’s public schools prepare to provide distance learning through the end of their school years on Tuesday, and now today, it became a reality in South Lake Tahoe.

El Dorado County Office of Education (EDCOE) announced they are taking a safety-first approach and immediate action to extend the school facility closures through the end of the school year.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The precipitation of March did not do enough to boost the snowpack in the Sierra to high figures, but it did give surveyors better figures than the 47 percent of average one month ago. The manual measurement of the snowpack at Phillips Station near Sierra-at-Tahoe showed the snow depth was 43.5 inches with a snow water equivalent (SWE) of 16.5 inches. This is 66 percent of the April 1 average at that location southwest of Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Arrests in South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County are down as a result of "Stay at Home" directives from the State, County, and City.

Though exact numbers are not yet available, a look at the daily arrest logs shows a large decrease. County-wide there were three arrests Sunday and five arrests on Monday, when one month ago there were 32 between the same two days of the month, a reduction of 75 percent.

STATELINE, Nev. – As the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly evolves, Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) continues to operate regular transit services for essential workers and services during the shelter-in-place order. TTD understands that public transportation is part of the community’s critical infrastructure and is committed to ensuring that transit services remain safe and reliable.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - As people watch the news they see the stories about a global shortage of the supplies needed by medical professionals fighting the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

Barton Health is South Lake Tahoe is preparing for a potential influx of patients seeking care and is making every effort to ensure their supplies are adequate. They are working with regional health partners, new and existing vendors, local businesses and community members to procure the personal protective equipment (PPE) that may be needed to keep their healthcare workers and patients safe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With "Stay at Home" orders from the state down to the local government, many are learning to adjust to the things they took for granted just a month ago.

One of those is a trip to the grocery store.

Even with all South Lake Tahoe grocery stores open, it doesn't mean it should be shopping as normal, a.k.a. "pre-coronavirus days."

Most households don't have refrigerator or freezer space, or even cupboard space to not have to make a run to the grocery store once in a while. But the fewer trips one makes, the better it is to remain safe and virus-free.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - As soon as the City of South Lake Tahoe issued an emergency order that allows them to issue administrative citations to those who violate California's 'stay at home' order, social media has been ablaze with rumors about martial law.

"We are not stopping cars unless it is for a traffic violation," stressed South Lake Tahoe Interim Police Chief Shannon Laney. "We are in protect mode for the community during this pandemic.

A rumor was started via social media, warning everyone that police were stopping all cars and identification was being checked.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - During their emergency meeting Wednesday, the South Lake Tahoe City Council voted to support the temporary use of the City's recreation center for the homeless population during the coronavirus pandemic and to follow the State of Calfornia's lead not halting commercial evictions at the time.

Since older Americans are particularly vulnerable to coronavirus (COVID-19), I wanted to let you know the steps we’re taking to help our Medicare beneficiaries cope with the pandemic.

We’re warning Medicare beneficiaries that scammers may try to use this emergency to steal their Medicare number, banking information, or other personal data.

Unfortunately, scammers come out of the woodwork during times of uncertainty and change. So make sure you give your Medicare number only to your doctor, pharmacist, hospital, health insurer, or other trusted healthcare provider.

California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye on Monday issued a statewide order suspending all jury trials in California's superior courts for 60 days and allowing courts to immediately adopt new rules to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In South Lake Tahoe, Judge Suzanne Kingsbury had previously announced new practices in the El Dorado County courtrooms and suspension of the use of juries until April 16.

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) is closed, but they are sharing with parents, teachers, students, caregivers a list of free STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) resources.

Due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic schools across the country, including UC Davis, are shut down. TERC has been closed its science centers and suspended regular program offerings.

They said they realize the challenges many parents who have had to home school their children may need help getting through the normal day-to-day schooling.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The City of South Lake Tahoe has this morning declared a local emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and is taking extra precautions to keep the public and our employees safe during this time.

The local emergency proclamation means we can provide or receive mutual aid from other jurisdictions and helps us secure resources, funding and staffing. In accordance with Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N28-20, the local emergency proclamation also includes a moratorium on some residential evictions until the

During a Tuesday evening press conference, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak ordered a statewide closure of all nonessential businesses in the state, including casinos.

The Stateline, Nevada casinos not already closed will close March 17 at midnight. The nonessential businesses in the state must close by noon on Wednesday, March 18.