With a protracted heat wave hitting northern California, we can expect more visitors arriving in Truckee seeking relief from the weather elsewhere.

We can reasonably anticipate that the risks of COVID-19 contagion will increase with a higher concentration of people in public places and with the heat making masks less comfortable to wear. It would be nice to see Nevada County and the Town of Truckee take affirmative steps to counteract the heightened risk of contagion.

These are some of the things local governments can do: [1] increase signage about the need to wear masks; [2] have law enforcement and/or public health workers advise people who are not wearing mask to put them on; [3] do not dismiss mask-wearing as a mere matter of personal responsibility (it is a public responsibility); and [4] dispense with the 6-foot exception for mask-wearing.

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The 6-foot exception is not working in Truckee. Too many visitors and residents stepping out of their vehicles without masks are not putting them when they enter a store or cross the 6-foot boundary in commercial areas.

Let’s stop the Covid spread.

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Jan Zabriskie

Truckee