LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Just a week and a half after the governor announced Nevada would move away from the phased reopening approach, the state's COVID-19 task force will meet with county leaders to discuss critical benchmarks for containment efforts of the coronavirus.
Gov. Steve Sisolak says the statewide containment efforts were shifting to a more local focus including critical benchmarks each county would be responsible for meeting.
"Just as before, this plan, or any other, will not work if we don't have full participation from all Nevadans, every county, municipality, employee, neighbor, and family," said Gov. Sisolak during an Aug. 3 news conference.
Nevada counties must meet the benchmarks which include a new formula to 'normalize' and stabilize data which includes: testing, case rates, and positivity rates.
In addition, state authorities will look at:
- HOSPITAL CAPACITY
- ACCESS TO PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
- TESTING CAPACITY
- CASE INVESTIGATION AND CONTACT TRACING
- PROTECTION OF VULNERABLE POPULATIONS
- ENFORCEMENT
State authorities say they will call counties each Thursday morning and if a county fails to meet multiple benchmarks, the county would be placed into an assessment.
"Counties will be asked to create an action plan, which may include implementing certain mitigation levels beyond the statewide baseline, including potentially moving to 25 percent capacity in high-risk settings or reducing public gatherings to slow the spread," said Caleb Cage, the COVID-19 state task force director during an Aug. 3 news conference.
Clark County is already in the assessment phase of the plan and county leadership is finalizing an action plan.
"I would point back to the additional testing we are doing, the proactive work that we are doing, so I feel we are making all the right and necessary steps to get us off of the red zone," said Clark County Chairman Marilyn Kirkpatrick.
Kirkpatrick says the overall trend is looking better for Clark County and does not anticipate additional closures at the present time.
Kirkpatrick says it will take the county at least 30 days to meet the necessary benchmarks and exit the White House designated 'red zone'
The governor says some of the targeted measures to get counties inline with the state benchmarks include:
- Increased enforcement
- Decreased gathering sizes (current limit of 50 across the state)
- Decreased in fire code capacity for certain businesses
