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Nevada’s COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Working Group has met with nine counties reported to be at high risk for transmission of COVID-19.
The plans for the counties of Carson City, Clark, Elko, Humboldt, Lincoln, Lyon, Nye and Washoe were previously approved by the task force.
A summary of their assessments and updates to the action plan is presented below. Douglas County presented its 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” that will guide event sponsors to prepare for a successful event and write an event-specific operational plan.
• Carson City has also developed a matrix that will serve as a guide using several parameters to guide decisions about the gathering (s) of events.
• Carson City formed a COVID Compliance Working Group to discuss efforts to further engage business and compliance efforts. The task force is made up of city staff as well as representatives from the Carson City Chamber of Commerce, the 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, established the third stationary community collection site.
o The most recent location is at Texas Station, 89032, which is in the top 10 zip codes with high cases.
o Although testing in a zip code will produce higher positive cases, with proper contact tracing it will also help curb the spread of the virus because people, who previously did not know they were positive, may know how to take rational decisions to isolate and quarantine. There will be an increase in positive cases due to more testing and the use of a data-driven approach, but this increase is expected.
• Hospital capacity is increasing, but remains stable.
• The cases reported by SNHD have exceeded 100,000.
Douglas County
Summary of the assessment:
• Douglas County was reported to have a high case rate, with 477 cases per 100,000 population as of Monday, November 16, and a test positivity rate of 13.4%.
• Douglas County developed and implemented local public information campaigns and amplified state policy messages. Douglas County has focused its compliance messaging efforts in the Lake Tahoe area, particularly to tourists.
• Law enforcement remains a challenge for Douglas County due to resources.
Approved action plan:
• The working group approved the plan with a greater 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 recently partnered with Great Basin College, which will lead the development of a “Why I Wear a Mask” campaign.
o The county has strengthened its engagement with local leaders to strengthen the messages as well.
• Elko County provided an update on enforcement efforts. The county works with the Department of Trade and Industry for local efforts and monitoring compliance.
Humboldt County
Assessment / Action Plan Updates:
• Humboldt County has reported 80 new cases since the start of the month, which works out to an average of 4.4 cases per day. The official reported that the condition of the personal protective equipment remains good.
• Humboldt County provided an update on enforcement efforts.
o At the onset of COVID-19, Humboldt County formed the Humboldt County Business Educators Council, made up of city and county leaders. The board has been reactivated and will focus on mitigating measures the business community can take to work towards a COVID-free vacation.
o In addition, a media campaign will be developed to strengthen
mitigation messages.
Lincoln County
Assessment / Action Plan Updates:
• Lincoln County provided a written update responding to the specific request of the working group and will provide more information at the next meeting.
County of Lyon
Assessment / Action Plan Updates:
• The main objective of the county of Lyon remains to convey the messages of the local chiefs of the county and the city to correlate the problems and the actions that need to be taken by the community.
New County
Assessment / Action Plan Updates:
• Nye County provided an update on law enforcement. The county uses a similar model used by the SNHD to assess any event.
• Nye County noted that enforcement does not appear to be the biggest problem, but rather overall behavior choices of not wanting to comply.
• Nye County hospital infrastructure and contact tracing resources are in demand.
Washoe County
Assessment / Action Plan Updates:
• The 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 moving average is also at an all-time high of 409 new cases per day.
• Hospitalizations in Washoe County have increased. For the context, hospitalizations related to COVID-19 were on average 30 to 40 patients and are currently 234.
• The Town of Reno and the Town of Sparks reported increasing their law enforcement efforts.
o The City of Reno performed over 500 inspections with a 97% compliance rate, which represents a 300% increase in overall inspections.
All counties – regardless of risk level – must maintain basic statewide mitigation measures, including wearing face shields, size limits and collection capacity in businesses . In addition, all counties must continue to follow the criteria for gatherings and youth / adult sports set out in Directive 033 and Directive 034 respectively.
Supporting advice for these guidelines and safety requirements can also be found HERE.
More information about the task force is available online on the Nevada Health Response page at nvhealthresponse.nv.gov, under “News and Information” and “COVID Task Force Assessment”.
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