Sonoma County has been heavily impacted by both the Coronavirus and ongoing wildfires. Even though the state of California dissuades people from traveling right now, tourist destinations have reopened with implemented restrictions, such as wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and a variety of other restrictions that vary from county to county. The California state government discourages people from non-essential travel, but they do not completely restrict it.
The Sonoma County Tourism website announced on August 31 that indoor locations like museums, theaters, and family entertainment centers would remain closed, lodgings for leisure travel will continue to be permitted, and all events are cancelled for the summer and fall 2020 season.
Even after Sonoma County closed it’s beaches in March, the Press Democrat reported that the Sonoma County Director of Emergency Management disregarded this restriction when he recently took his family to a closed beach. He even shared it on social media, which caused outrage from many Sonoma County residents.
Although social distancing is supposedly required at these tourist destinations, a San Rafael family looking to escape the heat told the Press Democrat, “All of the beaches were too crowded.” Contact tracing revealed spikes of Coronavirus cases after the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
According to a San Francisco Chronicle article, Lake Tahoe locals are displeased with recent incoming tourists looking to beat the heat, because visitors have not only left trash and caused traffic congestion, but can potentially spread Coronavirus to locals.
The Regional Director of Sales for Evolution Hospitality, Amanda Frank, claims that she expects tourism in Sonoma County to pick back up in the fall, “Even if visitors decide to wait a bit longer to make sure the fires are under control.” If her prediction is correct, Sonoma County will likely face a new wave of Coronavirus infections during that time.
The Los Angeles Times reported, “Los Angeles County will draw about 29 million tourists this year,” but will “lose more than $13 billion in tourist spending because of the Coronavirus outbreak.”
An article from The Press Democrat explains that wineries can no longer offer indoor tasting due to COVID-19 restrictions. They also cannot provide outdoor tasting due to the poor air quality from the recent wildfires, forcing some wineries to close their doors. Wildfires in Sonoma County began just as the harvest season started, causing a largely negative impact on the wine industry here. This year is unlike previous years, when the wildfires began as harvest season was ending and the grapes had already been picked. Because the grapes have not yet been harvested this season, the wineries damaged by the fires will face a drastic financial loss.
Although restrictions are in place to keep Sonoma County residents safe, it is clear that they are not all being followed or enforced. Sonoma County locals are at risk of contracting COVID-19 from tourists, but tourism is also a central aspect of the local economy. Although reopening is likely going to help local businesses and the economy stay afloat, Sonoma County residents are due to face a new wave of COVID-19.
