Governor Sisolak says Nevada won't return to normal without a coronavirus vaccine

RENO, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — In a webinar on Friday with members of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, Governor Steve Sisolak discussed the next steps in re-opening the state and what that might look like for the rest of the year.

While Gov. Sisolak and his staff are still evaluating the impacts of reopening, he says Nevada has flattened the curve so far.

During the webinar, Gov. Sisolak also said there's also been a downward trend in positive coronavirus cases and deaths.

Although Nevada has made significant progress, he said it will likely take a vaccine before the Silver State is able to return to normal.

"Frankly in dealing with my health experts, I don't think there's any hope to getting back to where we were until we have a vaccine," explained Governor Sisolak during the webinar. "In dealing with the President and the Vice President on calls, they continue to be very hopeful that we could have something late this year or early next year."

If there is a potential surge in coronavirus cases, Gov. Sisolak said the state's medical facilities and hospitals are now prepared to handle it.

When it comes to reopening Nevada's gaming industry, Sisolak said he has set a target date of June 4 depending on the evaluation of trends in COVID-19 testing data and the results of the Gaming Control Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

However, the coronavirus can be particularly contagious, especially in smaller environments. With no vaccine for at least 8 months, Gov. Sisolak says it’s unlikely classrooms will look the same.

"There's no way you can social space in those classrooms. You just have too many kids in those classrooms in order to be able to do that," reasoned Gov. Sisolak. "The Department of Education and I are working to come up with a plan to reopen schools safely. We will probably make a decision in the next two months or so."

Opening schools will likely look different across the state because of Nevada's mix of urban and rural school districts.

Gov. Sisolak also addressed Nevada’s growing unemployment during the webinar and how he’s working to address the state’s financial shortfalls.

He explained that declaring a fiscal state of emergency allowed Nevada to access more federal funds, but that there is still a major shortfall. Budget cuts would happen on a case by case basis.

"This is not a time to be raising taxes clearly, but if the federal government is going to have a package that's going to provide some resources for the states, our unemployment is higher than anyone's these days because of our hospitality industry," said Gov. Sisolak when asked about Nevada's growing unemployment. "Hopefully the government's going to realize that and we're going to get some resources."

The Governor said it would ultimately be up to next year's legislature on how to handle state budget cuts, but said he too wants to make funding education a priority.

The governor will hold a press conference Tuesday to discuss Phase 2 of reopening.