The South Lake Tahoe City Council decided July 14, 2020 to postpone all special events until at least September 22nd. Council made that decision as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Safety is our number one priority and we know we can’t have large gatherings of people right now,” said City Manager Joe Irvin, “Council’s decision shows that the City of South Lake Tahoe is taking the health of our residents and visitors seriously.”
The City typically holds a number of events during the course of the year including the Bijou Bash and the 4th of July Parade. City Council had initially decided to postpone events until their July 14th meeting, but after the Governor’s announcement, yesterday made the decision to continue that postponement until at least Mid-September.
“It’s important we support the people of South Lake Tahoe, and also our own economy,” said Irvin, “The number one way we can do that is to ensure safety is a top priority and we are taking the right steps to make that happen.”
On June 5, 2020, Governor Newsome released guidelines for stage two and some stage three activities to begin no sooner than June 12, 2020. Since the re-opening of stage two and three activities, there has been a spike in the number of positive cases throughout the State.
Large public gatherings like concerts and festivals are not included in the allowable activities for stages two and three. Stage four allows for large public gatherings like concerts and festivals. Stage four conditions include the presence of therapeutics such as a vaccine and antibody testing to prevent spikes in disease transmission.
While health experts are working to fast track a vaccine there is no reliable timeline. Without some level of certainty for providing the necessary conditions to meet stage four parameters, it is difficult to plan for special events that would attract large groups of people.