By Elizabeth Flatley
Lake Tahoe is one of those vacation spots that has activities year-round, making it a popular destination for tourists. During our quarantine, as Californians are looking to get out of their homes, they drive up north to isolate in the peaceful lake of Nevada and California. Although quarantined, tourists defied the CDC’s social distance advice during America’s beloved fourth of July weekend, giving Lake Tahoe an all-time high for COVID cases. In Washoe County, where Lake Tahoe, Incline Village, and Reno are located, the numbers have been climbing toward 8,000 total cases. Local lifeguards, sheriffs, and government officials warned locals and tourists of the threat of this; sure it does not seem like much, but if infection during the patriotic weekend that draws sightseers to see the lovely firework displays and air force shows. Not only has there been a rise of COVID-19 cases, there has been the first sighting of a human plague in South Lake Tahoe. Humans inherit the plague from rodents that have been bitten by fleas, but health professionals believe that a Southern Lake Tahoe resident may have been bitten by a flea while walking their dog along the Tahoe keys around the south shores, and/or, the Truckee River corridor. Amazingly, the person infected with the plague has recovered and there have been no signs of outbreak. Now, I’d like to use this article as a reminder to social distance and keep your masks on!