Indoor mask mandates will resume on Friday, July 30, in 12 of the 17 Nevada counties as COVID-19 cases continue to climb in the state.
The decision comes after the Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines on July 27, advising fully vaccinated people to continue wearing masks indoors in high transmission areas. In particular, the new guidelines hope to curb the spread of the high transmissible delta variant, which is set to become the dominant strain in the country.
“Nevadans & visitors – please see the latest update below. Let’s mask up to keep one another safe. And if you haven’t yet, get your #COVID19 vaccine. Visit http://NVCOVIDFighter.org to find a clinic near you,” Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said in a tweet.
The 12 counties include Carson, Churchill, Clark, Douglas, Elko, Esmeralda, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Washoe and White Pine. Eureka, Humboldt and Lander counties are currently listed as moderate, while Pershing and Storey counties are listed as low transmission as of the latest CDC updates.
“This update comes as the delta variant now accounts for the majority of new cases. The delta variant has shown to be much more contagious and spreads more than twice as easily from one person to another, compared with earlier strains,” Meghin Delaney, communications director at Nevada Health Response, said in a statement.
According to the CDC’s website, fully-vaccinated people can continue to choose to participate in activities as they had prior to the pandemic, only now they should reconsider wearing masks again, specifically in indoor settings. While contracting COVID-19 as a vaccinated individual is unlikely, the chance has increased as the delta variant, first detected in India, continues to spread. The state of Nevada has left it up to individual counties to decide how to adhere to the guidelines.
Nevada reported 850 new active cases of COVID-19 as a 14-day moving average, as of July 29. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the state has seen 352,567 cases of the virus among its 3.1 million residents with 5,854 deaths, according to state data.
