The COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force, chaired by Nevada COVID-19 Response Director Caleb Cage and created via Directive 030, is meeting with six Nevada counties flagged last week for having an elevated disease transmission risk.
HERE IS WHAT WAS DECIDED DURING THURSDAY'S MEETINGS
LANDER COUNTY
Plan approved. Bar closure requirements will expire at midnight.
HUMBOLDT COUNTY
Plan approved, but task force has 3 requests related to coordinating efforts with Fort McDermitt; improvement in outreach and communication plans with local communities; and summary of enforcement activities.
ELKO COUNTY
Elko County is requesting more time to come up with a plan and asking for state officials' input. Task force votes to keep Elko County’s bars closed and limits in place for restaurants for now until it sees a completed plan.
NYE COUNTY
Plan proposes opening bars everywhere except Pahrump. Plan approved. Bars will remain closed in Pahrump. Nye County's plan also includes more contact tracing and more enforcement of restrictions for bars allowed to reopen.
WASHOE COUNTY
Plan proposes reopening bars, pubs, taverns, breweries, distilleries and wineries. Their plan also specifically focuses on private gatherings like house parties. Several members express concern because of the elevated case rate in Washoe. Task force votes to keep restrictions in place and reevaluate in 2 weeks.
CLARK COUNTY
Plan proposes more testing, more contact tracing and more code enforcement. Also proposes reopening bars etc. at 50%. Cage starts out by stating his concerns about Clark County are similar to the ones about Washoe. Cage praised parts of the plan, but says he is concerned by the elevated number of cases. 2nd biggest concern is lack of collaboration between county and local jurisdictions in carrying out their plan. Specifically, Cage says he is concerned about city’s lack of support of the plan and mentions local election officials who are criticizing enforcement measures and want to discontinue the local ambassador plan. Terry Reynolds, director of the Department of Business and Industry, also says he believes that there is more work to be done before any restrictions are lifted. Task force votes to keep current restrictions in place for bars and restaurants and reevaluate in a couple of weeks.
In addition, Churchill County has now been added to the list of counties flagged for elevated risk of transmission.
Watch the meeting below
After the counties were identified last week as having a sustained elevated risk of COVID-19 transmission, Cage and the Task Force worked with local leaders throughout the weekend and this week to thoroughly examine each county's data, and counties submitted assessment and action plans for review.
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The six counties on the list -- Clark, Elko, Humboldt, Lander, Nye and Washoe -- presented final plans for review and potential action by the task force before the meeting.
The existing closures of bars, pubs, taverns, breweries, distilleries and wineries in Clark, Washoe, Nye and Elko counties per Directive 027 will be reviewed by the Task Force during the meeting on Thursday. Possible action could include a continuation or revisions to existing restrictions.
A copy of the meeting's agenda, which includes information on how to watch the meeting, can be found online here.
The task force will meet again next Thursday.
