"The decisions Nevada makes to mitigate COVID-19 are based on medical expertise"

Although President Trump has said he wants businesses and churches to reopen by Easter, Sisolak's closure order doesn't expire until April 16 and may be extended beyond that.

2020-03-27

United States

Reading time 1:30 min

During a press conference via Facebook Live, Gov. Sisolak defended a lengthier business closure than President Donald Trump's recommendation, saying he bases all coronavirus-related measures on his team of doctors and experts’ advice, and not on "hopes, emotion or politics." Meanwhile, Nevada casinos reported successful February figures before coronavirus shutdowns.

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak held Thursday a virtual public session together with Dr. Shadaba Asad, the Director of Infectious Disease at UMC and a member of the Governor’s Medical Advisory Team, to discuss COVID-19 precautions and provide expert information on the matter.

Although President Trump has said he wants businesses and churches to reopen by Easter, Sisolak's closure order doesn't expire until April 16 and may be extended beyond that, as the number of known COVID-19 cases in Nevada jumped by triple-digits again last night.

"My date does go longer than the president's," Sisolak said. "I am relying on medical advice and facts. That’s why we have Dr. Asad here today. We are not basing this on hopes or emotions or politics. It will strictly be based on medical decisions, medical guidance and statistics."

During the 40-minute press conference, Shadaba reiterated the importance of social distancing, proper hand-washing, and sneezing etiquette, the Reno Gazette-Journal reports.

A total of 10 people have died from coronavirus in Nevada, according to new figures reported on the Nevada Health Response dashboard and the number of Nevadans who've tested positive for COVID-19 has jumped to 420 as of Thursday morning, an increase of 84 new cases over Wednesday's reported count on the dashboard of 321.

Nevada casinos report successful February figures before coronavirus-inducted closures

Before closing in mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, state casinos had a very good February, regulators said. The casinos took in over $1 billion in house winnings for the third month in a row.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board said Thursday the statewide casino win figure was slightly higher than in January and a little more than 3 percent greater than February 2019, News 3 LV reports.

Board analyst Michael Lawton attributed the third-highest figures ever in February to a leap-year extra day and clear winter weather in Northern Nevada. Data next month is expected to reflect huge decreases.