Coronavirus live updates: Sisolak to spell out next phase of COVID recovery plan

This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day Monday, May 25. This story is part of the Reno Gazette Journal’s essential COVID-19 coverage and is being provided for free. Please consider subscribing to the RGJ to support our work.

Sisolak to spell out next phase of COVID recovery plan

3:35 p.m.

Gov. Steve Sisolak will offer details on the second phase of Nevada’s post-COVID recovery plan at a Tuesday afternoon press conference in Carson City. 

It’s been a little more than two weeks since the state entered the first phase of its economic revival effort. Since then, officials say the Governor’s Office of Economic Development has been analyzing data trends and evaluating which businesses should reopen in subsequent phases of the plan. 

Sisolak has targeted a June 4 reopening for the state’s hard-hit gaming industry, pending an evaluation of the state’s coronavirus response data and the results of an upcoming meeting with the Gaming Control Board.

The governor predicts it will take two or three weeks to work through each phase of the Silver State’s recovery plan. He has not specified how many phases might be required.

The first-term Democrat is scheduled to speak at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

The RGJ will cover the event live from the state Legislature. Sisolak’s remarks will also be livestreamed at leg.state.nv.us. 

County reports another 2 deaths on Monday

2:45 p.m.

Officials are reporting two additional deaths COVID-19-related deaths in Washoe County.

The Regional Information Center on Monday identified the dead as a woman in her 90s with underlying health conditions and a female in her 80s with underlying health conditions.

The county also reported 27 new cases of coronavirus with three recoveries. There have been 54 virus-related deaths in Washoe County.

Washoe County reports 2 more deaths Sunday

Two COVID-19-related deaths were reported in Washoe County on Sunday.

The Regional Information Center said the two who died were a woman in her 40s with underlying health conditions, and a woman in her 70s with underlying health conditions.

There have been 52 COVID-19-related deaths in Washoe County.

COVID-19: Reno-Sparks’ casinos excited to get back to business

Also Sunday, the center reported 17 new cases, along with eight recoveries.

The total number of cases in the county increased to 1,378; there have been 789 recoveries. The county has 537 cases classified as active.

Nevada skilled nursing facilities receiving $17.5 million

Sunday

The  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it began distribution of 46 payments totaling nearly $17.5 million to skilled nursing facilities in Nevada to help them in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The funding is intended to support nursing homes suffering significant expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19.

HHS will make relief fund distributions to the state’s SNFs with both fixed and variable formats. Each SNF will receive a fixed distribution of $50,000, plus $2,500 per bed. All certified SNFs with six or more beds are eligible for the targeted distribution.

As of Friday, 1,073 people in Nevada's long-term care facilities had tested positive and 95 residents and staff members had died.

Overall, Nevada's statistics are slightly better than the national average. A quarter of the state's COVID-19 deaths are associated with long-term care facilities, compared to 42 percent nationally.