You may have been hearing that Lake Tahoe is ready to welcome tourists.
But while the South Lake Tahoe City Council voted to drop a potential $1000 fine for those who violate the statewide stay-at-home order and El Dorado County has lifted a local no-travel order, officials in the area are reminding the public that there is still a statewide ban on non-essential travel.
“I cannot emphasize this enough: People should not come to Lake Tahoe unless they have an essential purpose for doing so,” said the county’s public health officer Dr. Nancy Williams in a statement. “I regret having to discourage visitors, but traveling outside of one’s home community is still proving to be a major factor in the spread of COVID-19.”
That leaves Tahoe's South Shore off-limits, with hotels and short-term rentals still shut down except to essential workers.
And in Placer County, which makes up the area's North Shore, officials have issued similar reminders, and a statewide rule is still in effect on the Nevada side of the lake.





