Tahoe Truckee Region COVID-19 Digest

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Nevada County officials have struggled with mask-related turmoil. “Unfortunately, the county has received a number of threats that have led to increasing our security,” CEO Alison Lehman said in statement.

California is delaying a coronavirus vaccine mandate for schoolchildren until at least the summer of 2023. The state was the first to announce a mandate, but it will not take effect until federal regulators give final approval to the vaccine for children.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, telehealth visits in California increased by 61 percent, with one in five patient visits now being conducted remotely. But how long will this major boost to telehealth services last?

On March 11, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital recognized the COVID-19 pandemic’s two-year mark by having a part of its building “light up blue,” both to honor the work of health care workers and others during the pandemic and to remember the lives lost to COVID-19x.

Placer County was ground zero for the COVID culture wars. The Sacramento Bee examines how the county’s approach worked out.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council voted to forgive the 53 small business loans it gave to local businesses during the height of COVID-19 shutdowns. The largest loan was for $15,000, and the total that would have been collected, had the city opted to require paybacks, would have been under $400,000.

On Feb. 16, California officials said that the state’s long-range plan for COVID-19 will focus on flexible responses to future variants and shift from an emergency mindset into one that assumes coexistence with the virus.

According to a release from the Nevada County public health officer, it is “still highly recommended” that people wear masks in public. However, per the statewide order, only unvaccinated individuals are required to do so.

In a letter to parents, the Tahoe-Truckee Unified School District said it is pausing multiple school activities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The district is experiencing a large surge with a total of 163 active cases and over 400 people in quarantine.

As the omicron COVID-19 variant continues to spread through California, many are using over-the-counter testing kits. If you test positive, what do you do with your result?

U.S. health officials have lowered isolation restrictions from 10 to five days for patients with coronavirus. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said the guidance reflects evidence that people are most infectious two days before and three days after symptoms develop.

Two counties have asked for religious and personal belief exemptions for the student COVID-19 vaccination mandate to stay valid when the mandate takes place next year.

For weeks a group of people has spoken to Nevada County supervisors about the virus, the vaccine and its supposed effects, while others who support vaccines and mask push back.

Owner Ron Stanger is closing Village Market in Incline Village, ending its four-decade history. Like other local entrepreneurs, Stanger is having trouble finding employees.

Outdoor dining in Truckee will continue through the end of October, now that the city is offering a one-month extension for downtown businesses to continue to use outdoor patio spaces.

Canceled in 2020 and then pushed from June to September by COVID-19, the El Dorado County Fair has now been called off for 2021 due to the Caldor Fire.

California has some of the most extensive workplace vaccine requirements in the nation, but they don’t cover every industry. Some advocates say the state should expand its vaccine mandates to certain industries.

A Harvard University study found evidence linking smoke from wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington in 2020 to rising COVID cases and deaths. They said that fine particulate matter acts as a vehicle for spreading infection and makes existing cases worse.

Nevada County Public Health Officer Dr. Scott Kellermann had issued an order requiring that all individuals, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, wear face coverings indoors in public settings and businesses.

The website is posting a weekly Friday wrap-up of COVID-19 statistics for counties around Lake Tahoe.

Since the state of Nevada issued an indoor mask mandate for all counties with substantial or high COVID transmission, many businesses in Douglas and Washoe counties are hearing from unhappy customers.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nevada County reached 5,693 Thursday morning. There are 369 new cases since July 30, indicating a 7 percent increase over the last week.

Around Lake Tahoe and its surrounding communities, business owners are feeling the labor shortage pinch, with help wanted ads unanswered and interviews unattended.

Low-income Californians enrolled in Medi-Cal have been vaccinated at far lower rates than the overall population. About 45 percent of eligible Medi-Cal enrollees had received at least one dose as of July 18, compared to about 70 percent of all eligible Californians, state officials said.

Coronavirus cases are rising on both sides of the state line, including some involving the Delta variant. El Dorado County is advising the unvaccinated to maintain similar protocols as when COVID first appeared in the US.

Effective at 12:01 a.m. on July 30, a directive by Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak will reimpose indoor mask requirements in 12 of Nevada’s 17 counties.

As the economy in California reopens, businesses are finding it difficult to attract employees. And that’s certainly the case in Nevada and Placer counties, which have some of the lowest unemployment rates in the state.

Though mask requirements have been lifted for vaccinated individuals, certain higher risk settings still require face coverings. In accordance with CDC guidance, Tahoe Forest Health System will continue to require that all personnel, patients, visitors and residents wear a face covering in all of its premises.

Though they expressed concern over the language in a resolution offered by District 2 Supervisor George Turnboo, his colleagues on the El Dorado Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to support residents who oppose mask mandates, especially for schoolchildren.

Originally unveiled last month in Nevada City, the Remembrance Memorial art installation honoring victims of COVID-19 is now on view in Truckee. The work is expected to remain downtown at Victory Plaza until Aug 12.

The first round of Payroll Protection Program cash left small companies behind, including most local businesses. Of the 2,432 loans distributed in both rounds of the program in Truckee/North Lake Tahoe, 2,222 had fewer than 20 employees.

Michelle Erskine’s collaborative art gallery, once housed in downtown Truckee, suffered greatly during the pandemic. The artist and curator talks to Tahoe Weekly about her search for a new space.