Gov. Steve Sisolak speaks during a Nevada COVID-19 Response, Relief and Recovery Task Force news conference at the Sawyer State Building Wednesday, June 23, 2021.
Published Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021 | 8:28 a.m.
Updated Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021 | 1:46 p.m.
An emergency order signed by Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak to reduce the spread of COVID-19 generally requires K-12 students in the Las Vegas and Reno metro areas to wear masks while inside school buildings.
The mask-wearing requirement in the order signed Wednesday also applies to school employees statewide regardless of vaccination status and to students statewide while on school buses, Sisolak's office said in a statement.
It cited recommendations by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus' highly contagious delta variant and most students' ineligibility to be vaccinated because of age.
The requirement for students to wear masks in schools applies to Clark and Washoe counties, which include Las Vegas and Reno, respectively.
School systems in other counties were ordered to adopt face-covering policies on “whether, or under what circumstances, face coverings will be required for students while in school buildings or on school campuses," the statement said.
The order also requires weekly COVID-19 testing for students, staff and volunteers who aren't fully vaccinated and who travel for athletics and other activities, the statement said.
The new order comes as Sisolak and local health officials are confronting another surge in coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the state driven by the delta variant and too few people being vaccinated against COVID-19. Less than half of Nevadans eligible for the the shots are fully vaccinated, according to the state health department. As of Thursday, 48% of those 12 and older were fully vaccinated, while 58% have had at least their first shot.
Sisolak planned to hold a news conference Thursday afternoon to discuss the pandemic.
This week, officials in Clark County said they are considering requiring all county employees to either get vaccinated or submit weekly COVID-19 tests. County lawmakers are studying the idea the before bringing it up for a discussion and vote in two weeks that could apply to more than 10,000 workers, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
The move is similar to a requirement Sisolak is imposing on more than 27,000 state workers.
The Nevada Hospital Association reports that in southern Nevada, where three-quarters of the state’s population lives, there are staffing shortages at five facilities. At least one hospital, Sunrise, has postponed elective surgeries because more coronavirus patients are taking up beds.
As of Aug. 2, there were 1,148 hospitalized people confirmed to have COVID-19 in Nevada and 67 hospitalized as suspected cases. There were 254 people in ICUs and 153 on ventilators.
While the bulk of the most recent surge has been in the Las Vegas area, hospitals in northern Nevada and rural areas are seeing a rise in coronavirus patients. The hospitalization rate in northern Nevada nearly doubled in the past week.
Nevada on Thursday reported, 1,135 new cases of the disease and 26 deaths.
Since the pandemic began, Nevada has reported 362,275 COVID-19 cases and 5,979 deaths.
Sisolak at 2 p.m. today will provide an update on COVID-19 status in Nevada. Check back later for updates.
