Reno, Washoe officials discuss coronavirus response
RENO — Responding to Northern Nevada’s first recorded COVID-19 death over the weekend, regional elected officials spoke to the public via a livestream news conference Monday urging residents to take the infection threat seriously and adhere to guidelines for physical distancing, avoiding unnecessary travel and closing businesses.
“We are beyond being inconvenienced. This threat is real, and this threat continues to grow,” Washoe County Commission Chairman Bob Lucey said. “If you didn’t think that you needed to stay home before, let me be clear, you need to stay home and stay home now.”
Washoe County announced the first death from the virus on Sunday, a 47-year-old Reno man entered the hospital Monday, Mar. 23, and died Saturday. As of Monday morning, the county has recorded 111 diagnosed cases of COVID-19, with nine recoveries.
Reno was the first community in Nevada to declare a state of emergency in response to COVID-19 and later directed nonessential businesses to close, preceding a similar statewide directive.
Besides the first death, Reno Vice Mayor Devon Reese cited another concerning milestone, the first COVID diagnosis involving a Reno police officer.
“These are the exact type of developments that we dreaded when the city declared a state of emergency on March 13,” he said. “We could be in this for a while, and we wanted our community to be in this together.”
Sparks Mayor Pro Tempore Ed Lawson appeared in place of Mayor Ron Smith, who is undergoing chemotherapy and remaining at home as a precaution.
Arlan Menendez, chairman of the Reno-Sparks Indian colony, urged younger people to stop socializing with friends, “especially in our tribal communities, where we have extended families.”
“We have reached a critical point in protecting our communities against the spread of this coronavirus, COVID-19,” he said. “There are still too many people out and about for unnecessary reasons.
The next Washoe County news conference is scheduled for Wednesday.
Contact Capital Bureau reporter Bill Dentzer at bdentzer@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DentzerNews on Twitter.
