JULY 4 FIREWORKS POSTPONED

Governor Implements New Restrictions That Impact Bars, Restaurants, Movie Theater, and Bowling Alley in Big Bear Lake

County Reduces Big Bear Valley Case Total

2 Positive Tests Out of 211 Tested at June 19 Testing Event

City Continues to Closely Monitor County Hospitalization Data

Face Coverings, Physical Distancing, and Good Hygiene Will Keep Us SAFE and Keep Us OPEN!

Please Get Tested!

FREE COVID-19 Testing Readily Available in San Bernardino County

The City of Big Bear Lake is working hard to ensure that the residents, second home owners, investors, businesses, and visitors in our community have the correct information about the status of COVID-19 in Big Bear Lake and the City’s response to the COVID-19 event.

This email newsletter is the official guidance from the City of Big Bear Lake, and the City appreciates everyone’s adherence to the guidance outlined herein. This email newsletter also serves as the City’s official press release regarding the City’s COVID-19 response, and press inquiries may be directed to City Manager Frank Rush at 909-866-5832 or via email.

The City issues these COVID-19 updates periodically as significant or new information emerges. To be sure you are receiving the latest and most accurate information, please sign up for this email newsletter by clicking here . PLEASE share this email newsletter with anyone and everyone, as we want to reach as many people as possible with this information. Thank you!

The City has postponed the July 4 fireworks, in response to the recent escalation of the COVID-19 threat in Southern California. The fireworks show will be rescheduled for later this summer or fall if / when the COVID-19 threat has subsided and it is again possible to present this great annual Big Bear tradition in a safe manner. The City is disappointed that it will not be possible to have the fireworks show on July 4, but believes it is in the best interest of our residents, businesses, and visitors to postpone the show.

The City Council authorized the July 4 fireworks show at a special meeting on June 16, at which time the COVID-19 threat was consistently decreasing and there was abundant hospital capacity in Southern California. Unfortunately, circumstances have changed quickly and significantly over the past 15 days, and current circumstances are not conducive to a safe, enjoyable show in Big Bear Lake. Additionally, Governor Newsom has encouraged all July 4 fireworks shows in certain counties, including San Bernardino County, to cancel or postpone – and the City concurs with this directive.

The City is currently working with Visit Big Bear and others to offer a virtual July 4 fireworks show that will air on Channel 182 and the City’s website on Saturday night. Additional details will be provided in a future City COVID-19 update, and we encourage everyone to take time this Saturday to honor the founding of the United States of America. Despite our challenges, we are all incredibly blessed to live in the greatest country on Earth!

The new fireworks date will not be set for several weeks, and the City will continue to monitor the COVID-19 threat in order to determine if / when the show can occur. The new date will be announced in a future City COVID-19 update.

In an effort to curtail the spread of COVID-19, Governor Newsom has implemented several new restrictions in 19 counties, including San Bernardino County, effective immediately. These new restrictions are expected to remain in place for 3 weeks, and affect the following businesses in Big Bear Lake:

All other businesses in Big Bear Lake may continue to operate in accordance with guidelines included in the Governor’s Resilience Roadmap .

Various State agencies will be enforcing these new restrictions, and all Big Bear Lake businesses are strongly encouraged to comply with these new restrictions.

San Bernardino County has adjusted the total number of confirmed cases in the Big Bear Valley, and has reduced the total number of cumulative cases in the City by 1 case.

The total cumulative case count now includes 8 reported cases in the City of Big Bear Lake and 6 in unincorporated areas (14 total cases). It is important to note that these are cumulative totals since reporting began in early March, and that most of these individuals have fully recovered by now and have resumed normal activities. There have been 5 new cases reported since the beginning of May, and these cases are believed to be the only currently active cases in the Big Bear Valley. Thankfully, there have been no deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the Big Bear Valley.

The County now reports a cumulative total of 12,746 confirmed cases in all of San Bernardino County. A total of 146,306 tests have been administered thus far in the County, with 8.7% testing positive for COVID-19. Sadly, a total of 258 people have now died from COVID-19 in San Bernardino County.

This data is updated daily at the County’s COVID-19 dashboard, and the City encourages everyone to view this site for the most accurate information.

On Tuesday, San Bernardino County public health officials released the results of the COVID-19 testing event at Big Bear Lake City Hall held on June 19. A total of 211 individuals were swab tested at the June 19 event for active cases of COVID-19, and only 2 individuals tested positive. These 2 new cases are included in the County’s current reporting described above.

A total of 197 individuals participated in serology testing, and complete aggregate results are not yet available. Similar testing throughout the County has indicated that less than 1% of those tested to date have presented with antibodies, so we expect the results of this testing to yield only a small number of potentially previously exposed individuals in Big Bear Lake.

The City continues to work with San Bernardino County public health officials to schedule additional free testing events in Big Bear Lake in the future.

Because any COVID-19 patients from the Big Bear Valley would likely be treated by other, larger hospitals in San Bernardino County, City officials continue to closely monitor hospitalization and ventilator data in the entire County. Thankfully, there has been sufficient capacity in San Bernardino County hospitals throughout the COVID-19 event. However, hospitalizations have increased in the County in recent weeks and are now at the highest levels since the COVID-19 event began.

According to the latest County data, there are currently 488 confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients hospitalized in San Bernardino County. Although hospitalizations have increased in the County in recent weeks, it is important to understand the context of this increase. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in our County previously peaked at 451 patients on April 10, and then dropped to 196 patients by May 15. On June 16, there were a total of 293 patients hospitalized in our County. It is important to note that there are approximately 6,000 hospital beds in San Bernardino County, and the County has specifically identified 1,106 “surge capacity” beds (the number of additional beds a hospital could provide if all available space was needed) in response to the COVID-19 event.

According to the latest County data, there are a total of 148 COVID-19 patients in intensive care. This is the highest reported number of ICU patients with suspected or confirmed cases during the COVID-19 event, eclipsing the April 10 total of 124 patients. It is important to note, however, that there are still a total of 140 intensive care beds available in San Bernardino County. To put this in perspective, there were a total of 61 intensive care beds available on April 16, a total of 168 intensive care beds available on May 16, and 156 intensive care beds available on June 16.

According to the latest San Bernardino County data, COVID-19 patients are currently utilizing 103 ventilators out of the 804 ventilators in our County. There are a total of 193 ventilators currently being utilized by patients with other ailments, and a total of 508 ventilators remain available. Since April 11, there have never been less than 500 ventilators available in San Bernardino County.

The overall number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in San Bernardino County has increased by approximately 50% since June 16, and City officials are concerned about this increase. The City considers this data to be among the most important data when making decisions for our community, and will continue to monitor and adjust our COVID-19 strategy if / as needed.

PLEASE wear face coverings when interacting with others in Big Bear Lake! It’s now required by the State, and the City supports this requirement.

It’s not too much to ask EVERYONE to wear a face covering, and it may make the difference in keeping our community SAFE and OPEN! The combination of physical distancing, face coverings, and good hygiene are our best tools to keep our community safe and avoid a return to the more restrictive measures implemented in March, April, and May.

You don’t need to wear a face covering at home, while driving, or while exercising by yourself or with your family, but PLEASE wear one when you’re working in a local business, patronizing a local business, at church, at other indoor gatherings, and any time it’s not possible to maintain at least 6 feet of separation from others – indoors and outdoors. It’s the least you can do for our community