Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced during a video statement from Carson City on Thursday that the state will no longer require masks in public places, effective immediately.
But he said employers and schools and organizations including school districts can still set their own policies.
The Washoe County School District says that masks "will be optional for all staff and students in the Washoe County School District by the end of today, Thursday February 10.
"Please be advised that masks remain federally mandated on all school buses across the nation and mask wearing will be enforced on all of our district buses and charter buses.
"We will continue to submit our plan on COVID-19 mitigation in coordination with our local health authority, the Washoe County Health District, as discussed at the last Board of Trustees meeting. That plan will be presented to the Board of Trustees at the March 8 meeting.
"At the end of today, masks are optional, but please remember that all of our employees, students, and families must feel safe and secure. If students, families, staff members, or visitors wish to remain masked, they should be made comfortable and their decision will be respected. Human Resources will continue to work with individuals with ADA accommodations. Masks will still be available at school sites for those who wish to use them.
"The mandatory testing of NIAA athletes and those leaving the county will end as of February 27, 2022.
"Please remember, that all of our other COVID-19 mitigation efforts in our schools continue to be in place. Please practice frequent handwashing and self screening before starting the work day."
Based on legal guidance provided by the Nevada State of Higher Education, the University of Nevada, Reno will be lifting their mask mandate effective immediately.
Students and members of the public are no longer required to wear face coverings while inside NSHE buildings irrespective of vaccination status.
In light of the decisions, effective immediately, proof of full COVID-19 vaccination will no longer be required to attend Nevada Athletics’ indoor events. Members of the public are not required to wear face coverings while inside Lawlor Events Center regardless of vaccination status.
Renown Health will still require all people and visitors to Renown patient care sites to wear a surgical, KN95 or N95 mask.
Earlier this week, the Carson City School District implemented a mask-optional policy. The decision came after the school district compared COVID cases to nearby school districts with similar populations and optional mask policies.
In response to Sisolak's announcement, a CCSD spokesman says, "Last week, we announced parents may determine whether their student will wear a mask while in schools. With the announcement this morning, teachers and employees will now also be able to decide if they will wear a mask while indoors. Following federal guidelines, all public transportation (including school buses), drivers and passengers will be requested to wear masks.”
The Washoe County Health District sent us this statement:
“We are seeing a significant drop in COVID-19 cases in Washoe County; however, we’re still experiencing case levels that are among the highest we’ve seen since March 2020. Masks are an effective mitigation method to prevent COVID-19 transmission and I encourage people to wear masks of their own free will to protect themselves and others.
I respect the Governor’s decision to end the mask mandate as I am sure it was not an easy one. I want to thank him for his leadership and the actions he has taken for nearly two years to protect Nevadans from COVID-19.
Ending the mask mandate removes the requirement for people to wear masks. It allows for people to choose whether they will wear masks, and whether they will require that masks be worn in their establishments. Many have pushed for the mask mandate to be dropped; now that this decision has been left to each of us it is important that we respect one another’s decisions.
We remind people to follow the Truckee Meadows COVID Risk Meter on our website at www.COVID19Washoe.com to see how the virus is impacting Washoe County.”
Shortly, after Sisolak's announcement, the Nevada Gaming Control Board released this notice -
Meanwhile, California's indoor masking requirement will end next week for vaccinated people but masks still are the rule for schoolchildren. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration brought back the masking mandate in mid-December as the omicron variant gained momentum, and last month extended it through Feb. 15. State health officials said Monday the mandate will end that day. Local health officials can continue their own requirements, however. The state also is lifting a requirement that people test negative before visiting hospitals and nursing homes, effective immediately. Meantime, health officials say they are continuing to evaluate the masking requirement for schoolchildren.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday announced that her state will end a COVID-19 mask mandate requiring face coverings in most indoor public settings, but will keep masking rules in place in schools for now. The broad rule requiring masks in places like shops and offices was put in place in mid-December as the omicron variant of the virus began infecting huge numbers of New Yorkers. It was set to expire Thursday.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says that at the end of the month he will lift the requirement for face coverings to be worn in most indoor spaces to slow the spread of COVID-19, but the mandate will stay in place for K-12 schools where students, teachers and staff are clustered together. Pritzker said Wednesday that the worst of the deadly virus' omicron variant has passed and with hospitalization numbers plummeting, masks will not need to not be worn to enter restaurants, grocery stores or other indoor spaces. The Democratic governor has appealed a circuit court ruling last week that he had over stepped his gubernatorial bounds when he required face coverings for in-person learning.
The governors of four other states have also announced plans to lift statewide mask requirements in schools a month or two from now. They cited the rapid easing of COVID-19′s omicron surge. The decisions in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Oregon were announced Monday as state and local governments grapple with which COVID-19 restrictions to jettison and which ones to keep in place. The changes also come amid a growing sense that the virus is never going to go away and Americans need to find a way to coexist with it. The four states are among a dozen with mask mandates in schools.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
