On February 10, 2022, Governor Steve Sisolak of Nevada announced that the mask ordinance of the state has ended, citing a drop in the COVID-19 case count. Nevada no longer requires face masks in public spots, including prisons and schools. However, face masks are required in certain high-risk environments, like nursing homes and hospitals.
The State Gaming Control Board released a notification to licensees stating that masks were not needed in casinos any longer unless their local jurisdiction necessitates masks.
Sisolak was expecting that Nevada was in a fine position to remove the mandate and give back a bit of freedom to people. Sisolak stated that all would like to get their normal lives back, no matter what normal means. Since the pandemic has been around for two years, Sisolak thought that it was the right time to lift the mandate. He seemed confident that Nevada has analyzed the right data in making the decision.
Sisolak mentioned a drop in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations as well as the level of virus found in wastewater testing as the reason for the move. At the peak of the coronavirus Omicron strain surge on January 10, 2022, Nevada registered 7,865 more cases. It has come down to around 1,280 cases over the last few days.
Sisolak expects the downward trend to continue and hopes that the decision would not contribute to a rise in the hospitalization count going forward.
Businesses, school districts, and other Nevada entities can determine whether to keep requiring face masks or not.
The Clark County School District (CCSD) stated that while it would lift the mask order after the school on February 10, 2022, masks would be needed on buses. The District stated that since the coronavirus situation continues, CCSD workers and students could make their individual decision to keep masking.
The President of Clark County Education Association, Marie Neisess, stated that union members have both stances about the use of masks. As for Neisess, some union members want face masks gone, whereas others insist on continuing to wear those products.
National Education Association of Southern Nevada President Vicki Kreidel stated that if CCSD feels that ditching face coverings is safe, she is OK with relaxed laws. Kreidel stated that while her students at Heard Elementary are usually compliant, it is stressful to police the mask-wearing habit of young children.
Kreidel plans on continuing to use a face mask as she suffers from autoimmune health conditions, and she hopes that some students would also do so. That said, Kreidel stated that it would help to not need to bother about face masks.
Business groups in Nevada have urged Governor Sisolak to lift the mandate.
Sisolak got a letter from the National Federation of Independent Business that states that the ordinance was complicating the process of hiring and retaining staffers.
The state director of the federation, Randi Thompson, stated that workers are quitting partly because of having to constantly demand customers to wear masks, facing harassment from workers over masks, and having to use masks for hours at work.
Nevada had one of the highest quit rates in the US last year, as per a recent Chamber of Commerce analysis.
Face mask ordinances have been an issue that politicians exploit and argue about. However, Sisolak insisted that Nevada’s decision to remove the mandate was not a politically motivated one. Sisolak stated that his decision is on the basis of science as well as is the best move for the welfare and health of Nevadans.
In a recent statement, Nevada’s Republican Candidate for the US Senate Adam Laxalt accused Democratic Party members of expressing another opinion about masks to aid them in winning re-election.
Questioning the need for the mandate, to start with, Laxalt stated that there is no science for this decision except for political science.
The announcement of Governor Sisolak comes after recent moves from many other states in the US to lift face mask mandates. Illinois, California, and New York left the ordinance in place only for schools.
Since January 21, 2022, the mask guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has never been updated. The CDC recommends wearing a face mask indoors for everyone in public, especially in a place with high transmission.
