Nevada, Clark County end emergency declarations for pandemic

LAS VEGAS (AP) — COVID-19 emergency declarations for Nevada ended Friday as the public health agency for metro Las Vegas noted that the pandemic isn’t over and said it will continue to monitor spread of the virus and provide assistance with vaccinating and testing.

While most of the state’s pandemic measures, including business restrictions and mask mandates, have already been lifted, the Southern Nevada Health District said it was important to remind the public that the virus that causes COVID-19 continued to circulate.

“Cases are currently increasing, and new variants are emerging,” said Dr. Fermin Leguen, chief medical officer for the district. “It is as important as ever to protect yourself and others by getting fully vaccinated and boosted if you are eligible.”

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on Thursday signed a proclamation ending the state’s emergency Friday, a planned action he announced two weeks ago, saying he wanted to ensure that there would be no gap in services.

“Today, we are turning the page on the State of Emergency caused by COVID-19 and are laser focused on ensuring our recovery from the public health, fiscal and economy crisis serves the needs of Nevada’s families,” Sisolak, a Democrat running for reelection, said Thursday in a statement.

Clark County, which includes the Las Vegas area, on Thursday announced the end of of its emergency declaration, which was declared March 15, 2020.

The county said its response to the pandemic included administrative leniency in the enforcement of ordinances, rules, regulations, purchasing and other government functions.

“While the county is no longer in need of an emergency declaration, we are still in a pandemic and our vigilance is required as we manage through additional strains of the COVID-19 virus,” County Manager Yolanda King said in a statement. “Clark County will be navigating through the pandemic’s tremendous impact on our region for the next couple of years.”

According to the state’s coronavirus dashboard, Nevada has had over 10,800 deaths attributed to COVID-19 and over 722,000 reported infections.

The first death in the state attributed to COVID-19 was reported March 16, 2020, just 11 days after officials said the first cases were found in Reno and Las Vegas.