Acknowledging the recent spikes of positive COVID-19 cases, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak urged people to stay as much as possible at home for the next 2 weeks. The Governor stressed that unless results improve in the next 14 days, tougher COVID-19 restrictions may be implemented.

Tougher COVID-19 Restrictions May Come in Effect in 14 Days

At a press conference in the Old Assembly Chamber of the Nevada State Capitol on Tuesday, Governor Steve Sisolak revealed that tougher COVID-19 restrictions may come into effect for Nevada in 14 days unless the number of positive cases decreases. The Governor stressed that there isn’t much time left to avoid “a dangerous hospital surge and keep our economy going and keep people at work“.

Referencing the stay-at-home orders issued at the beginning of the pandemic, the Governor called the current situation “Stay at home 2.0.” With that in mind, Governor Sisolak stressed that unless the situation improves in the next 14 days, he may be forced to “take stronger action“.

“If we don’t come together at this moment, I will be forced to take stronger action in 14 days. To be clear I don’t want to take stronger action I do not want to implement more restrictions.”

Governor Steve Sisolak

The governor added that on Monday, there were 1,300 new positive COVID-19 cases. Focusing on the 7-day period before that, the number of cases is growing at a rate of 1.2% which represents 1,326 cases per day. In light of this, Governor Sisolak urged all people to stay at home for the next two weeks.

A Tightrope to Balance Controlling COVID Spread

At the press conference yesterday, the Governor was joined by Dr. Tony D. Slonim, president and CEO of Renown Health in Northern Nevada. Dr. Slonim outlined that an “alternative care site” is planned at the parking garage of the hospital. If all COVID-19 beds are taken, the “alternate care site” would be able to accommodate an extra 1,600 beds for patients.

Furthermore, Governor Sisolak compared the current situation to a “tightrope to balance controlling COVID spread“. He outlined that while hospitals need to be protected from surges, at the same time it is vital that the economy is not destroyed or shut down. The Governor did not discourage visitors from coming to Nevada but instead urged everyone to follow the health and safety guidelines which include wearing masks, social distancing, and more.

In total, the positive COVID-19 cases in the Silver State have reached 112,304. Out of that total, more than 74,000 people have already recovered while other 1,859 have deceased. In light of the recent spikes of positive COVID-19 cases, now it’s up to the residents of Nevada to follow even more strictly the guidelines by the health authorities and hopefully avoid the implementation of tougher restrictions.