It’s hard to stay sanitized with no product to buy. Rice, baking goods, cup-of-noodles, and tofu are also in short supply. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
Shopping in this era of COVID-19 is like a lesson in sociology. It will be interesting to see what historians write about us in the years to come as it relates to all aspects of this pandemic.
I’ve only had one quasi-unpleasant exchange with a friend since my return to Tahoe at the end of March. She took issue with me snowshoeing with friends a few days ago. Six of us drove three vehicles and stayed 6 feet apart. The few people we passed on the trail were that distance as well as someone went off trail to wait for the others to go by.
Auto Zone uses caution tape and plexiglass to separate workers and customers. Plexiglass is common at many store cash registers. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
Wrong to drive to a trailhead in the greater Lake Tahoe area? I wasn’t playing tourist. I wasn’t hurting anyone else. I touched nothing that anyone else would touch. I was not participating in a high-risk sport that could require search and rescue personnel. (Yes, there can be injuries in all sports; I’ve also injured myself at home, though, too.) I did not go someplace that had any signs indicating the trail was closed. Nor was the parking area closed.
I did my two-week quarantine when I returned from Mexico. I believe that if we keep away from others, and wear masks and gloves when we are in close proximity, then the shelter in place is pointless. The shelter in place is for the people who can’t figure how to safely be in public. As with most things, Draconian measures are put in place to cater to the lowest common denominator of society. It penalizes the majority of people who know how to behave.
On top of that, exercise is good for the mind, body and emotional well-being. I do plenty indoors, but it’s not enough. Being outside in the fresh air and absorbing sunlight contributes to good health for anyone who does so. I am consciously choosing to go to locations where I am not having to pass people on a single-track trail. I’m staying away from places I believe will be packed full of people; as everyone should do. There are enough places, even in cities, to go to without touching each other. How hard would it be to say all north and eastbound foot travel is on the right side of the street, while all south and westbound traffic is on the left side – or something like that?
Safeway in South Lake Tahoe wants shoppers to go one-way down aisles. (Image: Kathryn Reed)
Yes, we are all in this together. Even if you are against some or all of the rules various levels of government are putting in place, at a minimum wear a mask and gloves when close to people or touching something someone else might touch – like doors, counters, groceries, gas nozzles, etc. The virus is real. That can’t be disputed. Why would you want to get it or pass it along?
I was shocked when I finally went grocery shopping. Not because it took forever to find baking soda, or that Costco didn’t have the canned beans I wanted, or that Safeway in South Lake Tahoe now has one-way aisles. I was flabbergasted to see so many people without masks or gloves. I was disgusted to see the owner of South Tahoe Grocery Outlet fist bump the founder of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care; the latter being the one who initiated it. Neither guy had a mask or gloves. Really, people? I’m thinking of spending future grocery dollars elsewhere.
What was good to see was people trying to social distance as best they could. Costco in Carson City had signs telling people to keep 6 feet apart. I was sad to learn from my checkout woman how people have been verbally abusing these essential workers. I can’t think of a time when it would be appropriate to swear at a cashier. She told me it’s mostly men who have misbehaved. Sad. Inexcusable. Disgusting.
In this one shopping excursion that included Costco, Safeway, Grocery Outlet, Grass Roots and Auto Zone, most of the people not wearing a mask or gloves were people who appeared to be at least 60. WTF? The Safeway cashier said how slow it has been with no tourists in town. Some San Francisco Bay Area counties are no longer allowing reusable bags at stores. Not the case in South Lake Tahoe. Time will tell if that edict changes. I washed those “shopping” clothes immediately in hot water. I wiped down all the goods I bought and the surfaces bags/boxes touched inside the house. I didn’t go in the Jeep for 72 hours.
I’m glad I have enough groceries to last more than two weeks so I can stay out of stores for a while. But I’m still going outside to play.
https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/
If you look under the section on recreation, we are supposed to stay in our own neighborhood to get exercise. Driving to snowshoe is not listed as an essential reason to leave your shelter in place.
Perhaps the reason you did not encounter more people on the trail is because they were following the guidelines.
The entire parking lot was full; it’s just that the forest offers tons of acres to recreate in. Disbursed recreation is what it’s called. And there were cars all along Highways 88 and 89 as people were pulled off to recreate in various locations. These are public lands after all.
I agree with Jann, yes, get outside and recreate, but only in your own neighborhood! I see that the Forest Service has taken aggressive action and has closed its South Shore recreation areas to the public, with potentially large fines. That is because people aren’t getting it, and somehow think the executive orders to shelter in place and not participate in non-essential activities doesn’t apply to them. Whether it is locals or folks visiting, stay the eff at home!
Also, Smart and Final in town is not allowing reusable bags, and has lots of club size items. This is not the time to go to Carson City to Costco or Target or Trader Joes. We have everything we need up here, and we support local businesses when we shop here. There will be plenty of time to go to Costco when we get past this, and the more we abide by these temporary measures, the faster that will happen. It may cost a few bucks more, but think of all the gas and time you are saving!
This just came in my email. FYI !!!
Forest Service issues temporary closure order for South Shore Recreation Corridor
Contact(s): Public Affairs, Lisa Herron 530-543-721-3898
[Image]: Forest Service Shield.SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif., April 15, 2020 – In alignment with current federal, state and local guidance for social distancing and to ensure health and safety of its employees, visitors and volunteers, the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) will temporarily close national forest recreation sites and areas in the South Shore Recreation Corridor effective April 13, 2020.
South Shore recreation sites and areas impacted by this announcement include the following:
Pope-Baldwin National Recreation Bike Path
Pope Beach
Camp Richardson Resort
Camp Richardson Corral
Fallen Leaf Campground/Beach
Tallac Historic Site/Beach
Kiva Picnic Area/Beach
Kiva Beach/Tallac Point
Taylor Creek Visitor Center
Baldwin Beach
These closures will be in effect through April 30, 2020, and will address public health and safety concerns to area and site related recreation. A violation of this prohibition is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both per 16 USC 551 and 18 USC 3559, 3571, and 3581.
The USDA Forest Service may elect to temporarily suspend access to additional recreation areas that attract large crowds and cannot meet social distancing guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Visitors to national forests are urged to take the precautions recommended by the CDC so that these areas can remain open for everyone’s enjoyment.
To protect public health and safety, all recreationists enjoying open areas of their national forest near their neighborhoods are encouraged to:
Avoid visiting the forest if you are sick and/or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
Follow CDC guidance on personal hygiene and social distancing before and during your visit to the forest.
If an area is crowded, move to a less occupied location. Also consider avoiding the forest during high-use periods.
Take your trash with you when you leave. Trash overflowing the receptacles becomes potential sources for the spread of COVID-19.
Please make arrangements to use the restroom before or after your visit to the forest. Unmanaged waste creates a health hazard for other visitors and employees.
For tips from the CDC on preventing illnesses like the coronavirus, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention.html. Information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is available at http://www.usda.gov/coronavirus.
For up-to-date information on the LTBMU and to view the forest closure order, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/ltbmu.
###
Map of South Shore Recreation Area closures
The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands the Forest Service manages contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation’s clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Alerts & Warnings
Attention! Bonfires and campfires prohibited on beaches at Lake Tahoe
Attention! Portable charcoal grills prohibited on all Forest Service beaches
Follow precautions against plague
View Forest Orders
Regulations for Forest Users
View All Forest Alerts
Forest Service Home | USDA.gov | recreation.gov | Recreation Customer Service Standards | USA.gov | Whitehouse.gov
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I guess they really mean it!
A couple of thoughts.
Smart and Final seems pretty well stocked. I was there during old people’s and first responders’ time this week (Tue & Thur 6am-8am). Today the employees were wearing masks. When I picked up my order at Raley’s at 10am today, the employees were wearing masks also. My husband and I have some on order and will begin wearing them when likely to be fairly close to others — probably not when walking in the Keys, as people on the street and few and far between.
Many thanks to Mary Lou Whitcomb for the info re Forest Service closures.
I couldn’t disagree more with your interpretation of “shelter in place”. SF has strict regulations as to exactly what that means. If you have to drive to a recreational destination then you’ve gone too far. Do not leave your neighborhood. Shop local. No need to drive to Costco in Carson City. Always wear gloves and mask. Always practice social distancing. Wash your hands. Support your local community and restaurants and enjoy take out. Then come home and wash your hands.
Welcome back home Kay.. I for one am happy that you are back!.. thank you for quarantining for a bit.. before venturing out!..
Please keep writing about your adventures!..
Physical, mental and emotional health count too! Keep hiking, biking, shoeing and running, and keep your distance. Easy peasy.
Gosh it’s great to have Kae back!!
Such lively discussion again.
Maybe you can help with the nutty people who don’t want 5G up here & want to recall our young people,
Devin Middlebrook & Tamara Wallace. What a shame!!