COVID-19 Task Force takes action on high transmission risk counties such as Carson City, Lyon and more

The Nevada COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force met with nine counties flagged for having an elevated risk of transmission of COVID-19.

Carson City, Clark, Elko, Humboldt, Lincoln, Lyon, Nye and Washoe counties’ plans were previously approved by the Task Force.

A summary of their assessments and action plan updates are below. Douglas County presented their assessment and plan to the Task Force for the first time.

Carson City
Assessment/Action Plan Updates:
• Carson City has developed a “Special Events Under 250 Checklist” which will guide event sponsors to prepare for a successful event and draft an event-specific operational plan.
• Carson City also developed a matrix that will serve as a guide using several parameters to drive decisions on event gathering(s).
• Carson City formed a COVID Compliance Task Force to discuss efforts to further engage businesses and compliance efforts. The task force is comprised of members from City staff along with representation from the Carson City Chamber of Commerce, Nevada Builders Alliance and Western Nevada College.

Clark County
Assessment/Action Plan Updates:
• Clark County, along with the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) and UMC, setup the third fixed Community Based Collection Site.
o The newest location is located at Texas Station, 89032 which is in the top 10 zip codes with elevated cases.
o While testing in a zip code will produce higher positive cases, with proper contact tracing, it will also help with curbing the spread of the virus as people, who prior to may not have known they were positive, can know make rational decisions to isolate and quarantine. There will be an increase in positive cases due to more testing and using a data driven approach, but this increase is expected.
• Hospital capacity is increasing however it remains stable.
• SNHD reported cases have surpassed 100,000.

Douglas County
Assessment Summary:
• Douglas County was flagged for having a high case rate, with 477 cases per 100,000 residents as of Monday, Nov. 16, and test positivity rate at 13.4 percent.
• Douglas County has developed and implemented local public information campaigns and amplified the messages of state guidance. Douglas County has focused compliance messaging efforts in the Lake Tahoe area, particularly towards tourists.
• Enforcement remains a challenge for Douglas County, due to resources.

Approved Action Plan:
• The Task Force approved the plan with the addition of an increased focus on compliance and enforcement.

Elko County
Assessment/Action Plan Updates:
• Elko County continues to work on testing challenges and officials are currently working with facilities to take advantage of the new partnerships.
• Elko County has recently partnered with Great Basin College as they will lead the development of a “Why I Wear a Mask” campaign.
o The County has increased engagement with local leaders to reinforce messaging as well.
• Elko County provided an update on enforcement efforts. The County has been collaborating with the Department of Business and Industry for local efforts and follow up on compliance.

Humboldt County
Assessment/Action Plan Updates:
• Humboldt County reported 80 new cases since the beginning of the month which translates to an average of 4.4 cases per day. Official reported that the personal protective equipment status remains good.
• Humboldt County provided an update regarding enforcement efforts.
o At the beginning of COVID-19, Humboldt County formed the Humboldt County Business Educators Council which was made up of City and County leaders. The council was reactivated and will focus on outline mitigation measure the business community can take to work towards COVID-free holidays.
o Additionally, a media campaign will be developed to reinforce
mitigation messages.

Lincoln County
Assessment/Action Plan Updates:
• Lincoln County provided a written update addressing the Task Force’s specific request and will provide further information at the next meeting.

Lyon County
Assessment/Action Plan Updates:
• Lyon County’s main focus remains messaging from local County and City leaders to correlate issues and actions that need to be taken from the community.

Nye County
Assessment/Action Plan Updates:
• Nye County provided an update regarding enforcement. The County is using a similar model used by the SNHD to assess any event.
• Nye County noted that enforcement does not appear to be the biggest issue, but instead overall behavior choices of not wanting to comply.
• Nye County’s hospital infrastructure and contact tracing resources are strained.

Washoe County
Assessment/Action Plan Updates:
• Washoe County Health District reported a record 610 new cases reported yesterday Nov. 18 and their test positivity rate has increased since Nov. 16, to 17.8 percent.
• Washoe County’s 7-day rolling average is also at an all-time high of 409 new cases per day.
• Hospitalizations in Washoe County have increased. For context, COVID-19 related hospitalizations were averaging 30-40 patients and is currently 234.
• The City of Reno and City of Sparks reported increasing their enforcement efforts.
o The City of Reno completed over 500 inspections with a 97 percent compliance rate, which is a 300 percent increase in overall inspections.

All counties -- regardless of risk level -- must maintain the statewide baseline mitigation measures, including wearing face coverings, limits on gathering sizes and capacity in businesses. Additionally, all counties must continue to follow the criteria on gatherings and youth/adult sports outlined in Directive 033 and Directive 034, respectively.

Accompanying guidance for these directives and safety requirements can also be found HERE.

More information about the task force can be found online on the Nevada Health Response page at nvhealthresponse.nv.gov, under “News and Information” and “COVID Task Force Assessment.”