Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak responds to a question during a news conference at the Sawyer State Building in Las Vegas,Tuesday, March 17, 2020. Sisolak ordered a monthlong closure of casinos and other non-essential businesses in order to stem the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19).
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 | 12:48 p.m.
Gov. Steve Sisolak has submitted a request to President Donald Trump for a major disaster declaration for Nevada because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The request, submitted Tuesday, seeks public assistance funding and individual assistance programs, including disaster unemployment assistance, disaster legal services, crisis counseling and training programs, and mass care and emergency assistance.
The crisis in Nevada is so severe that “supplementary federal assistance is needed to save lives, protect public health and help Nevada recover from the incomprehensible economic impacts that have resulted from this global pandemic,” Sisolak said in statement.
The governor’s office said it did now know when the president may act on the request.
Other states, including Maine and Arizona, have asked for major disaster declarations, and Ohio has had its request granted.
Sisolak signed a declaration of emergency for Nevada on March 12 and has taken steps to slow the spread of the virus, including issuing a formal stay-at-home order and closing schools, casinos and other nonessential businesses through April 30.
