Lake Tahoe cleared to reopen some businesses
Lake Tahoe can now reopen outdoor dining, wineries, barbershops and salons, after officials received word from the state Tuesday afternoon that the Greater Sacramento region was being moved out of the state’s regional stayathome order.
The news comes just days before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend — typically one of the ski destination’s most popular vacation times. Ski resorts have remained open throughout lockdown and hotels, which had only been allowed to serve essential workers, are available to reopen to tourists.
The state’s fourweek projection for intensivecare unit capacity across the 13county region put the area at 19.1%, well above the state’s 15% threshold for lifting its stayathome order. The region now reverts to the state’s tiered system of COVID restrictions. The Tahoe area remains in the mostrestrictive “purple” tier, which limits outdoor gatherings to a maximum of three households and comes with a 10 p. m. to 5 a. m. curfew.
The purple tier also comes with minor restrictions on hotels and lodging providers, according to the state’s COVID information website. Hotels
can reopen to recreational travelers, but amenities like spas and gyms remain closed. A travel advisory from the California Department of Public Health implores people not to travel more than 120 miles from their home, which technically puts the Tahoe region out of reach for Bay Area residents.
“This is a huge relief, predominantly for our restaurant industry,” said Dave Polivy, a Truckee town council member. “This will give people an opportunity to, at the very least, get back to outdoor dining and get some respite from what has been a really overwhelming past six weeks.”
Stayathome orders began for the Greater Sacramento region on Dec. 11. In spite of the order, tourists have been traveling to the Tahoe region, staying in shortterm rentals listed on Airbnb and Vrbo and visiting ski areas, locals say.
“This is by no means a return to normal,” said Chris Fiore, communications manager for the city of South Lake Tahoe. “But it is a step in the right direction.”
Lifting the order before the holiday weekend could be a substantial boon to local businesses that have been struggling since the shutdowns began last spring. However, it also opens the possibility of attracting outsiders from areas still under stayathome orders to the remote region.
“This means visitors can come to Tahoe and support our local businesses,” Fiore said. “But we have to remember how we got here.” He emphasized that anyone going out or coming to Tahoe should wear facial coverings, wash their hands frequently and socialdistance.
“If it’s going to be busy this weekend, people need to make sure they pack their respect for the people who call this place home,” Fiore said.