C a l i f o r n i a ’ s O l d e s t N e w s pa p e r – E s t. 18 51
Monday, April 20, 2020
Volume 169 • Issue 46 | 75¢
mtdemocrat.com
Placerville to send letter to gov, hoping to open town soon Pat Lakey Staff writer
the pandemic’s effect may be subsiding in California, and hinting that lifting the order may be imminent, failed to recognize that rural Because Placerville isn’t San Francisco or areas should be differentiated from large cities, Los Angeles and cases of those afflicted with Placerville council members said. the coronavirus COVID-19 are comparatively The governor on Tuesday, a few hours before much less prevalent in the the local City Council local area, city officials are meeting was held, said this: “The city needs to advocate sending a letter to Gov. “While Californians have Gavin Newsom urging stepped up in a big way to (for opening stores sooner) him to allow state-ordered flatten the curve and buy because we have a very low sanctions here to be lifted us time to prepare to fight sooner rather than later. infection rate … ” the virus, at some point in The City Council last week — Dennis Thomas, vice mayor of Placerville the future we will need to gave the go-ahead to City modify our stay-at-home Manager Cleve Morris, with order. assistance from Mayor Michael Saragossa and “As we contemplate reopening parts of our state, Vice Mayor Dennis Thomas, to state Placerville’s we must be guided by science and data — and we stance in a letter to Newsom that also will seek to must understand that things will look different get detailed answers as to when the stay-at-home than before,” said Newsom. dictate might be lifted statewide. Newsom’s recent announcement saying that n See Letter, page 6
Nonessential travel into Tahoe Basin could result in $1,000 fine
Graduation ceremonies up in the air
Dylan Svoboda Staff writer El Dorado County is cracking down on nonessential travel into the South Lake Tahoe region as officials fight to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Board of Supervisors passed an emergency ordinance Tuesday that gives teeth to a “no-travel” order brought down by county health officer Dr. Nancy Williams earlier this month. Travelers may now receive a $1,000 fine for traveling into the Tahoe “The services Basin area for we have just nonessential purposes. won’t support Williams issued the extra the order April 3 “to reduce population.” the number of — Sue Novasel, visitors and other El Dorado County non-full-time District 5 supervisor residents in the basin” as the area dealt with a swelling of population. Enforcement officials will levy fines through the sunset date of the “stayat-home” order, which is currently set through April 30. The emergency ordinance will remain in effect throughout the stay-at-home order if the directive is extended beyond April 30. The city of South Lake Tahoe implemented its own $1,000 fine for those traveling to the area for nonessential purposes and staying in second homes or vacation rentals. The city had fined two people as of Tuesday afternoon, according to county Chief Administrative Officer Don Ashton. The county’s move implements enforcement measures for areas outside the city, such as unincorporated areas like Meyers, Tahoma and Meeks n
Democrat photo by Krysten Kellum
Signs like this will come down sooner rather than later if Gov. Newsom heeds Placerville city officials’ suggestion. The City Council last week approved sending a letter to the governor asking that rural areas be treated differently — allowed leeway to resume business sooner than metropolitan areas — after the coronavirus emergency is declared over.
Democrat file photo by Jackie Penn
Graduates traditionally toss their mortarboards to the sky at the end of commencement ceremonies — just like these El Dorado High School grads in years past — but will this milestone be pushed back until after shelter-in-place orders have been lifted or will it be transformed as a virtual event?
Will commencement be delayed or go virtual? Dylan Svoboda Staff writer As summer creeps closer, the coronavirus outbreak is threatening an important day in young students’ lives. With June just weeks away, most El Dorado County high schools are still unsure how graduation ceremonies will take place. Students are working remotely, mostly online, and seniors in good standing are expected to graduate as usual. It’s the formal “walk” that’s at risk.
See Nonessential, page 6
While dates are still to be determined, El Dorado Union High School District spokeswoman Serena Fuson said superintendent Ron Carruth “assured the Board of Trustees and community at our last board meeting that the district will still hold graduations.” But how, exactly, is still up in the air. The district is putting together a graduation committee of parents, students and faculty members to come up with graduation ideas and recommendations for district
leadership, Fuson added. EDUHSD is home to El Dorado, Oak Ridge, Ponderosa and Union Mine High Schools. Graduation ceremony ideas are already being thrown around in the Black Oak Mine Unified School District. “At Golden Sierra High School we are working as a staff to decide how to handle the commencement ceremony — options range from streaming graduation online to n
See Graduation, page 3
El Dorado County coronavirus cases holding steady at 35 Dylan Svoboda Staff writer For the second day in a row, no new coronavirus cases were reported Thursday in El Dorado County. The number of COVID-19 cases in El Dorado County remains at 35, with six cases still active. County health officials reported one additional case of the coronavirus Tuesday evening in the South Lake Tahoe area but haven’t reported another since despite roughly 100 additional tests. The county reported Thursday that 29 COVID-19
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patients have fully recovered from the virus. El Dorado Hills leads the way with 14 cases of the coronavirus. There have been 11 cases in the Tahoe Basin and five in the greater Placerville area, according to data provided by the county. Three cases have been found in the Cameron Park/Shingle Springs/Rescue area and two cases have been found in the north county. No cases in Camino, Pollock Pines, Diamond Springs, El Dorado or the south county area have been reported as of Thursday evening. There have been about 1,400 tests conducted on
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county residents, according to the data. Women have made up 18 of the 35 cases in the county. The median age of the patients is 47. Over half the cases — 51% — involve patients between the ages of 18 and 49. About 40% are aged 50-64. There are three cases involving those 65 years or older, the age group at highest risk. No deaths have been reported at this time. There are 26,182 confirmed coronavirus cases across California with 890 deaths, according to data updated Thursday by the state Department of Public Health.
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