City of South Lake Tahoe recruiting volunteer ambassadors during pandemic

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Just as many other cities around the country have done, the City of South Lake Tahoe is partnering with local residents to act as volunteer ambassadors to reach out to the community and visitors about the importance of safety during the pandemic.

“We have said the entire time to do everything you can to stay safe, so Tahoe can stay open,” said City Manager Joe Irvin, “This ambassador program is about making sure people wear a mask, wash their hands, and do their part to make sure visitors and residents alike stay healthy during this crisis.”

The volunteer ambassadors will be handing out masks and literature to help educate members of the public. The City has ordered 2,000 masks and has proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for the volunteers to have to ensure their safety as well.

“Our goal here is to ensure people have the tools they need to keep themselves and everyone around them safe,” said Irvin. “We also want to help our business community stay open and keep their patrons safe. At the end of the day, we are all in this together.”

The City is still recruiting volunteers for the Ambassador Program. To sign up, interested parties can email Chris Fiore at cfiore@cityofslt.us.

“This is a community that cares about others, we already know this program will be a success,” said Irvin, “The harder we work to keep everyone safe, the easier it will be to keep Tahoe open and continue to help our businesses and residents weather this pandemic.”

The volunteer recruitment will happen on an ongoing basis. Ambassadors will go through an on-boarding process and will have to submit to temperature checks before their shifts. Ambassadors will be able to pick their own hours, and the City asks only that they log those hours each week.

In New Jersey, Maine and other coastal beach towns, their volunteer COVID-19 ambassadors walk the beaches and welcome visitors, hand out masks and answer questions about local COVID-19 regulations. In Fort Worth and Los Angeles, ambassador programs have been successful in spreading the word on safety with a goal of helping to prevent businesses from shutting down again with a rise in COVID-19 cases.

During the state's shelter in place orders, travel to South Lake Tahoe was discouraged to prevent the spread and a fine of $1,000 was used to get visitors to comply and not visit. The new ambassador program is meant to take a kinder, gentler approach now that tourists have returned.