City of South Lake Tahoe asks tourists to stay safe and at home, for now

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - With a minimum three-week long Stay-at-Home order going into effect on December 10 at 11:59 p.m. there are new rules that affect South Lake Tahoe visitors and residents.

The Sacramento Region, of which South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County are part of, has dropped below 15 percent availability in the ICUs across the region, prompting the new order. More than thirty million people in California now fall under the order after a deadly surge of the coronavirus has crossed the state.

In the Sacramento Region, the ICU availability rate was 14.3 percent as of December 9.

As with the earlier shutdowns this spring, visitors to the region may still try to make their way over the Sierra to South Lake Tahoe, even with an 'essential travel only' order in place.

"We don’t need visitors who are also under the same restrictions to come Tahoe right now, what we need is for people to stay home for the next three weeks," said Chris Fiore, the City of South Lake Tahoe's communications manager. "That will be a step in the right direction to getting Tahoe back to the way it’s supposed to look in the winter time."

With a new storm expected to drop snow in the area starting this weekend, the ski areas will be operating under their current COVID-19 safety restrictions. While outside recreation like skiing is allowed during the Stay-at-Home order, traveling through California to South Lake Tahoe is not

"We want people to stay safe and be respectful of this beautiful place we call home. We all love Tahoe, but I think it is clear we are stronger together and safer apart right now," added Fiore.

There has been some confusion voiced on social media concerning lodging availability during the Regional Stay-at-Home Order. Prior to December 10, visitors were allowed to stay in hotels and vacation home rentals but if from out of state they were to quarantine for 14 days.

Now that the order is in place, it states: Hotels and Lodging can only offer accommodation for (see attached):
* COVID-19 mitigation and containment measures
* Treatment measures
* Accommodation for essential workers
* Providing housing solutions, including measures to protect homeless populations.

To read the state's new restrictions set for South Lake Tahoe Thursday, visit here https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/#regional-stay-home-order.

Also affected by the order are ski resorts in Placer County, Mono County, and Alpine County.