Sisolak: Nevada to take 'more strategic, aggressive approach' in each county to reduce COVID

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Gov. Steve Sisolak unveiled Nevada’s new long-term coronavirus containment strategy on Monday, tossing out an earlier, phase-based approach the governor said was too unpredictable.

Sisolak’s latest plan will take a more granular, ZIP code-level look at virus data so that officials can mop up specific hotspots without shutting down whole industries or counties. 

He said that should help make future shifts in COVID prevention policies a little less jarring for businesses and residents who spent months watching the state bounce between the first two phases of a recovery plan that never actually had a defined endpoint.

The Silver State’s revised blueprint will also allow for much more rigorous enforcement of Sisolak’s earlier virus-prevention orders, including in rural jurisdictions that have bristled at the directives. 

State officials will conduct weekly checkups on counties’ progress against a variety of COVID mitigation benchmarks, such as test positivity rate, case rate and testing capacity. Counties that fail to show progress in those areas will have to submit an action plan to be reviewed by Sisolak’s COVID-19 task force, and could face a crackdown from state officials.

Until those action plans are finalized, Sisolak said bars that don't serve food in Washoe, Clark, Elko and Nye counties will remain closed. 

The governor last week announced watering holes in three smaller counties — Humboldt, Lander and Lyon — could reopen immediately, so long as they continue to observe mask-wearing and social distancing protocols.

Those businesses had been closed since July 10, when Sisolak shuttered bars, pubs, taverns, distilleries, breweries and wineries in seven Nevada counties as the state struggled to gain ground in its monthslong battle against the coronavirus.

Officials used a population-based formula to target the closures in areas considered a “transmission risk,” including bars inside casinos. 

Casinos, still the lifeblood of Nevada’s economy, have remained open throughout the virus’ latest swell in the Silver State. They look likely to stay open for now, despite reservations expressed by some of Sisolak’s top health advisors.

“Shutting down public and economic activity around the state is not sustainable in the long-term,” the governor said during Monday’s press conference at the state Capitol. “The good news is by switching to a strategic targeted approach we can protect the health and safety of Nevadans while keeping our economy open.”