http://www.rgj.com/story/news/2021/07/27/nevada-issues-emergency-order-requiring-masks-all/5395205001/
Nevada issues emergency order requiring masks — vaccinated or not — in a
dozen counties starting Friday
Ed Komenda
Jason Hidalgo
Reno Gazette Journal
Recycled Records employee Joe Wilson, right, helps a customer while
wearing a mask in Reno on April 14.
Nevada has issued an emergency order requiring people in 12 of 17
counties — whether they're vaccinated or not — to wear masks in public
indoor spaces.
Starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday, the mandate becomes effective in counties
with substantial or high transmission of COVID-19, according to a news
release shared Tuesday afternoon.
Nevada counties that will be impacted: Carson, Churchill, Clark,
Douglas, Elko, Esmeralda, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Washoe and White
Pine.
More COVID-19 coverage:Surge in Delta variant cases raises concerns
about summer events in Reno
The city of Reno on Tuesday afternoon announced a mandate that all
people regardless of vaccination status will be required to wear a mask
or face covering in public indoor settings at all city of Reno
facilities effective Wednesday.
Nevada mandate follows CDC guidance
The state's announcement of the new restrictions comes the same day the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course and urged
even fully vaccinated Americans to wear masks indoors in areas of high
coronavirus transmission.
While masks aren't likely to crush community spread, experts say, they
might ratchet up pressure on the unvaccinated and encourage businesses
and schools to implement mask mandates.
With caregivers seen in a reflection, a patient lies intubated in his
bed in the Intensive Care Unit devoted to those inflicted with COVID-19
at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno December 2020. The patient's
name was not released.
The CDC is also now recommending universal indoor masking for all
teachers, staff, students and visitors inside schools from kindergarten
to 12th grade, regardless of vaccination status. That aligns closely
with guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which
recommended this month that anyone older than 2 be required to wear a
mask in school.
Cases surge across Silver State
Nevada has resurfaced as a COVID-19 hotspot in recent weeks due to the
spread of the Delta variant.
After falling to just 132 daily new cases on June 9, Nevada saw a steep
increase in the following weeks as the variant started to take hold in
the state. By July 24, new confirmed COVID cases shot up to 870 per day,
a level not seen since early February.
On Tuesday, Nevada logged 792 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total
number of cases recorded during the pandemic to 352,567. In all, 5,854
people statewide have died from COVID-19.
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In Washoe County, the seven-day average for new cases rose to 67 as of
July 26. The number represents a steep increase from just a couple of
months ago, when the county reported a seven-day average of 13 on May 31.
The COVID-19 positivity rate, which measures the share of COVID tests
that return with a positive result, has also seen a steady increase this
summer ever since dipping all the way down to just 2.8% on June 7. The
rate hit 5% — the World Health Organization’s upper limit for reopening
— on July 10.
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Less than two weeks later, the positivity rate in Washoe broke the 8%
mark, which is one of the thresholds set by the governor when assessing
whether a county is at elevated risk for COVID-19.
The rate was at 9.1% as of July 25.
As of Tuesday afternoon, 1,143 people were hospitalized statewide — 36
of them on ventilators, according to state data.
Clark County — home of the Las Vegas Strip — accounts for nearly 80% of
COVID-19 cases in the state, as well as the highest incidence rate. In
Washoe County, health officials have logged 47,296 cases and 690 deaths.
The surge led Clark County commissioners last week to mandate all
employees working indoors in a public space to wear masks.
A week earlier, the Southern Nevada Health District recommended mask
wearing for vaccinated and unvaccinated people at crowded indoor public
places. The district changed its mask policy following rising case rates
and hospitalizations for COVID-19.
Vaccination rates low
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said new data shows the Delta
variant, which accounts for more than 80% of the new infections in the
U.S., behaves "uniquely differently'' from its predecessors and could
make vaccinated people infectious.
"Information on the Delta variant from several states and other
countries indicates that in rare occasions some vaccinated people
infected with the Delta variant after vaccination may be contagious and
spread the virus to others,'' Walensky said. "This new science is
worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendation.''
In Nevada, vaccination rates remain low, state data shows.
Carson City has the highest vaccination rate in the state — about 50
percent. In Washoe, that number is 48 percent.
Clark County, where the majority of new cases have been recorded, has a
vaccination rate of 39 percent.
A big part of the challenge in boosting vaccination rates is vaccine
hesitancy. While the county saw a high number of vaccinations earlier
this year, rates have since slowed down. Reasons for vaccine hesitancy
range from health concerns to personal and political beliefs.
Earlier this month, Washoe District Health Officer Kevin Dick pleaded
for residents to get the vaccine as the Delta variant continued to make
inroads within the state. At the time, Dick said higher vaccination
rates were crucial in ensuring that things don’t go backward after the
progress seen in prior months.
"The vaccine is free and readily available to anyone 12 and older,
regardless of immigration status," Dick said at the time. "That’s our
path forward regarding COVID-19. We don’t want … to be in a situation
where we mandate everyone to wear masks."
Health officials also expressed concern back in late June about the
variant quickly establishing a foothold after a COVID cluster was
confirmed at a Washoe kindergarten.
"The super contagious nature of the Delta variant is very concerning,"
said Nancy Diao, division director of epidemiology and public
preparedness for the Washoe County Health District.
"We already saw in the U.K. that it took over in the course of a month."
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