While Governor Steve Sisolak did not hold a press conference on Friday, he did speak with Vegas Chamber members to update them on issues in southern Nevada and beyond.
The Vegas Chamber hosted webinar that featured President & CEO Mary Beth Sewald and Chairman Tom Burns of Cragin & Pike.
Governor Sisolak spent more than a half-hour answering questions about the economy, face coverings, education and the upcoming state budget. Sisolak said that he has asked several state agencies for a list of possible budget cuts, but stressed that decisions would be made on a case-by-case basis. He did say that he was hoping that the state would receive some funding from the federal government to help with issues related to the virus.
Sisolak also said that he wants visitors to feel welcome when they come to Nevada so testing and contact tracing are important. "We can bring back the economy, we can't bring back lives."
Sisolak mandated that non-essential businesses, including casinos, be shut down in mid-March. Last Friday, he announced in a live press conference that some businesses were allowed to start reopening with some restrictions in place, as part of Phase 1. Since then, many gaming establishments, such as the Nugget Casino Resort, have released their own reopening guidelines. (You can read it at the bottom of this article.)
"People are gonna have to feel comfortable when they get on a plane or check into a hotel in Las Vegas. Until there is a vaccine that they feel they will be immune so to speak from the virus, I don't think it's gonna be back totally."
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He again stressed the usage of face coverings for all Nevadans and asked that residents think of other people, such as healthcare workers, veterans or first responders when wearing a mask. "In an ideal world, yes, people wear face masks." He did acknowledge that people don't like to be told what to do, but cited evidence from the CDC that shows face coverings and social distancing do work to help stop the spread of the virus. "The virus can only spread if we assist in its spread."
At the time of this writing, Nevada Health Response reports 7,401 positive cases of coronavirus statewide with 381 deaths.
As for schools, Sisolak said that a decision will have to be made soon regarding the school year, if upcoming classes would be held in person, online or a hybrid of the two options.
