Coronavirus stay-at-home order in California means no 'snowplay' as storm brings 'significant' mountain snow
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A powerful "winter-like-storm" that's brought heavy rain to Southern California this week also dropped significant snow in mountain areas, spurring a warning to stay away amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Big Bear Station of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday on Twitter that California's stay-at-home order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 means that hitting the slopes also is prohibited.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Significant snow is expected in SoCal mountains this week, however SNOWPLAY IS PROHIBITED IN BIG BEAR VALLEY," police said.
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The sheriff's department added that ski resorts, snow play areas, public lots and on-street parking in the city of Big Bear Lake are closed.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In accordance with the state and county public health directives, authorities will "strictly enforce" all parking violations this weekend in the Big Bear Valley, according to Capt. Mitch Dattilo.
Authorities are warning people to avoid "snowplay" in the mountains of Southern California after a storm brought significant snowfall to the region due to stay-at-home orders mean to slow the spread of coronavirus. (Capt. Mitch Dattilo/San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department)
A spokesperson from the sheriff's department told the San Bernardino Sun that they will not have extra patrols, but deputies who see groups congregating will remind them about social distancing guidelines.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Capt. Don Lupear with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department tweeted that the California Highway Patrol also will enforce parking restrictions this weekend in the mountain areas from Lake Arrowhead to Snow Valley.
State officials echoed that there will be no additional patrols to catch anyone choosing not to stay at home.
“We don’t have the manpower to do extra patrols of snowplayers," CHP officer Garret Morris told The Sun. "Of course, if we see a group of snow players gathering, we have the right to stop and question what they’re doing."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}So far, there have been three confirmed coronavirus cases in the city of Big Bear Lake and two in the Big Bear City area, officials said Monday.
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Authorities in California have been cracking down on people violating the state's stay-at-home order in the past week. The San Diego County Sheriff's Office said Saturday the tickets were issued to 22 people "watching the sunset, having picnics near the beach" in Encinitas, located 25 miles north of San Diego.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The National Weather Service's office in Los Angeles said that through Friday morning, more than a foot of snow is expected in mountains in Los Angeles County, while other high-elevation spots may see between 6 inches and a foot of frozen precipitation.
The NWS' Weather Prediction Center said Wednesday that the storm system that's doused California with rain and mountain snowfall in the last few days will continue to slowly move east over the desert Southwest.
"In the higher elevations, more than of foot of snow is expected most notably along the southern Sierra Nevada," the WPC said. "By Wednesday evening precipitation should edge farther east into Arizona and southwestern Utah."
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As of Wednesday, there are 17,625 cases of COVID-19 in California, with at least 452 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.