The Washoe County Board of County Commissioners today proposed amendments to a plan for local management of COVID-19 mitigation measures focusing the amendments to social distancing and vaccination goals.
On May 1, the State of Nevada will transfer authority over COVID mitigation to county jurisdictions, but the proposed local plans have to be provided to the State COVID Task Force on April 15.
The State of Nevada retains authority over certain directives, including the statewide mask mandate. This is a directive that Washoe County cannot reverse or override. The county also cannot override directives specific to schools or entities governed by state boards.
Washoe County Assistant County Manager and Incident Commander David Solaro consulted and collaborated with the business community, as well as the City of Reno, City of Sparks, the Washoe County Health District and the Washoe County School District to develop the plan. Endorsements from these groups are required before the State will take action on the proposed plan.
“I appreciate you, Mr. Solaro, and the manager for putting this together, being the local leader and being acknowledged by the governor as the local leader and the expert as to how we’re going to open up,” Commissioner Kitty Jung said. “I know this is a working draft, but I think it is the best and most thoughtful. There has been a lot of crafting of this behind the scenes, and let’s continue the conversations and get through this.”
Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to amend the plan, with Commissioner Jeanne Herman dissenting.
“COVID will always be here, it’s how we manage it,” Chair Bob Lucey said. Lucey made a motion to approve the plan with the following amendments:
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Allow 10 people to a group in restaurants and event settings
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Eliminate social distance minimums for outdoor events
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Private gatherings are un-enforceable, so they should not be addressed in the plan
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Masks will not be required during exercise, such as working out at a gym or athletic activities.
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Vaccination rate of 50 percent to lessen current restrictions (for example, to move from 6 feet of distancing to 3 feet indoors)
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Remove 75 percent vaccination rate as a trigger to move to full pre-COVID operations. Full reopening would depend on hospitalization rates instead. Metrics to be brought to the board every two weeks for review.
Washoe County staff will seek the mandated endorsements from the cities of Reno and Sparks, and the Health District and School District. The County Commission will call a special meeting on April 14 to formally approve the revised proposal. The proposed plan will be then be reviewed by the State of Nevada COVID Task Force on April 15. Upon approval by the Task Force and governor, it may go into effect on May 1.
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