NHP asks public to quit calling 911 about false border shutdown rumor

The Nevada Highway Patrol on Tuesday asked people to stop calling 911 to ask about road closures — particularly an unfounded rumor that the California-Nevada border had been closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Highway Patrol said in a statement that its dispatch center “has been inundated” with calls regarding road closures, “specifically down in the Stateline, Primm/California Border.”

“I don’t know why we’re getting them, we’re just getting them,” Highway Patrol spokesman Jason Buratczuk said Tuesday about the calls.

Buratczuk emphasized that the Nevada border is open to traffic. He said dispatchers on Monday night notified him of the increase in calls.

“Nevada’s open,” he said. “Not necessarily for business, but we’re open.”

The Highway Patrol said in its statement that dispatchers handle more than 800 calls for service every 24 hours. Motorists should only call 911 for emergencies and use the *NHP phone number to request assistance.

“We need our phone lines to be kept clear for actual emergencies,” it said. “At this time there are no road closures or travel restrictions in place.”

Up-to-date travel information can be found on the Nevada Department of Transportation’s website at nvroads.com. Information is also posted to the Highway Patrol’s Twitter page @NHPSouthernComm, and on the Department of Transportation’s Twitter page @nevadadot.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewerg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.