KTLA

‘Don’t come here’: As Mono County nears overload, sheriff urges visitors to stay away

A lake in Mono County is seen in this undated photo. (Chad McDermott / Los Angeles Times)

The sheriff of Mono County, home to beloved getaway spots including Mammoth Lakes, has a plea for the city dwellers who usually drive both its winding mountain roads and its economic engine: Stop coming.

With eight confirmed coronavirus cases and a hospital with 17 beds and four ventilators, Mono County Sheriff Ingrid Braun said Friday night that officials are nearing their capacity to handle the outbreak and need outsiders to stay away.

“Don’t come here,” Braun said. “If we get much more, it’s just too much of a stress load.”

Although the county is still in single digits on cases, she said, that number translates to the highest per capita rate in the state — nearly double that of San Francisco, the next highest.

Read the full story on LATimes.com.