Sisolak gives Nevada 14 days to get virus under control

Gov. Steve Sisolak says Nevadans have 14 days to help officials get the spread of the coronavirus back under control or he will have to impose restrictions.

He described it as “one last try to see if we can get this under control in two weeks.”

“If we don’t come together at this moment, I will be forced to take action in 14 days,” he said. “I don’t want to take enforcement. I want to lift restrictions.”

Sisolak urged everyone who can to stay home for the next two weeks, work from home and avoid contact with people who aren’t in their household.

He said he is trying to keep the state open and not impose restrictions again but that people have to wear masks properly — over both the mouth and nose — stay home if they can, avoid hosting meetings and avoid close contact with people even if they are wearing masks.

“I do not want to close businesses and implement more restrictions but unfortunately some folks choose to make light of things on social media. I’m asking them for two weeks. Let it go. Encourage people to wear masks.”’

Sisolak said he has doctors and scientists tell him Nevada is on the verge of being overwhelmed by the virus but he said Nevadans can change that.

If they don’t, he said, “I don’t know what restrictions I’m going to have to put up. They’re going to be severe, they’re going to be hard.”

He also said despite what some are saying on social media, wearing a mask is not a political statement.

“I’m not asking somebody for something completely onerous,” he said. He said Nevada had 1,300 hospitalizations on Tuesday, four times what it was four weeks ago.

In the state's hospitals, three out of every four beds is currently occupied due to COVID-19 and other causes. The Nevada Hospital Association reported 891 beds were occupied by confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients — the highest number since mid-August.

Sisolak concluded that out of state visitors are still welcome but that they must adhere to the guidelines including wearing masks, social distancing and washing hands.

Failure of businesses to comply, he said, will result in citations and fines. He said he has urged local governments to step up enforcement to get the situation under control.

The Nevada Hospital Association said the state “continues the upward trajectory of COVID-19 cases as the population appears to have disengaged from mitigation steps such as social distancing and remote working.”

On Tuesday, Carson City Health and Human Services reported 22 new cases in the Quad County Region. The new cases put Carson City over the 1,000 total case total. Carson’s cases increased over the weekend when 109 confirmed cases were reported at Warm Springs Correctional Center. That is a 20 percent infection rate among inmates. Staff was at less than 1 perfect.