The Washoe County Board of County Commissioners today approved a plan for local management of COVID-19 mitigation measures.
On May 1, the State of Nevada transferred authority over COVID mitigation to county jurisdictions that had met certain approval requirements. Washoe County’s latest iteration of the plan was not endorsed previously by the City of Reno, Washoe County School District, or Washoe County Health District, as directed by the governor, and Washoe County was therefore not authorized to assume authority on May 1.
“We get all sides of this – and it’s very difficult – the best we can do for you today is move forward with a Washoe County plan for local authority for 29 days, until June 1,” Commission Chair Bob Lucey said. “We can only strive to move forward for the benefit of our children, our families, our community.”
In today’s special meeting, a plan was presented to the Board of County Commissioners with the full support and endorsement of the required entities and was approved by the Board. The next step is to inform the Nevada State COVID Task Force of the approval and receive authorization to assume local authority, which is expected today. On June 1, all state-mandated measures will be removed except the statewide mask mandate.
Pending the state’s approval of the local authority plan, the following measures will go into effect in Washoe County:
| Topic | May 3 – 31, 2021 | June 1, 2021 |
| Masks | Must be worn by employees and customers, indoors and outdoors, per Governor’s Directive 024 and 028 | Must be worn by employees and customers, indoors and outdoors |
| Social distancing | 6 feet per CDC guidance | No social distance requirements |
| Permit type | May 3 – 31, 2021 | June 1, 2021 |
| Pools/Spas | Hot tubs (spas) may open | |
| Food | Seating:
Tables limited to groups of 10 Bars limited to groups of 4 Condiments: Customer may ask for and bottles must be cleaned between customers Buffets: Are not allowed to open unless served by employees |
Seating:
No restrictions
Condiments: No restrictions Buffets: Allowed to open with self service |
| Special Events | Events expecting more than 500 individuals need to submit a Large Gathering Plan to WCHD-EHS and have it approved | Events that have already had their plan approved by the State may reach out to WCHD-EHS to obtain permission to hold their event with less restrictions
Newly planned events do not need an approved large gathering plan |
| Invasive Body Decoration | For procedures on the head/face staff must abide by rules for dental procedures (mouth rinse, wash hands, employee wearing mask and face shield) | For procedures on the head/face staff must abide by rules for dental procedures (mouth rinse, wash hands, employee wearing mask and face shield) |
| Casinos/Large Resorts | Gaming operators must continue to abide by the requirements listed in SB4 (6 feet social distancing, sanitation, etc.) | Gaming operators must continue to abide by the requirements listed in SB4 (6 feet social distancing, sanitation, etc.) |
If the COVID Risk Meter (www.covidriskmeter.org) reaches red, on the Thursday night at 11:59 pm of the week the meter reaches red, the community will be required to revert to tighter restrictions.
If new case counts reach 625 per 100,000 over a 30-day period then additional restrictions on businesses resume with an initial focus on restaurants, bars, casinos, gyms, and large gatherings/events. (This means about 100 new cases a day for a few weeks, or a larger spike over less time)
View the full plan here.
