Sisolak staffer tests positive for COVID-19

CARSON CITY — A member of Gov. Steve Sisolak’s Carson City staff tested positive Tuesday for COVID-19, sending all staffers in the office home to quarantine for a week pending tests of their own.

The governor, in Southern Nevada since mid-September, has not had contact with the staffer since then but also will be retested, according to a statement from his office Tuesday. He was scheduled to return to Carson City next week, but “travel is on hold until all test results for Northern Nevada team members are received and the environment has been deemed safe,” the statement read.

The staffer, who is not being identified, was last in the office Friday and was tested over the weekend after experiencing symptoms. The staffer has been interviewed and contact tracing is underway, as per protocol.

Staff members who might have been exposed “continue to self-monitor for symptoms and quarantine” by staying home, working from there and separating themselves from others. They will be tested this week and must test negative before reporting back to the office next week.

The standard testing protocol recommends getting a test five to seven days after possible exposure.

The statement said the governor’s office “has followed all public health and safety protocols including temperature checks, wearing face coverings, social distancing and strict hygiene procedures.” The office undergoes regular cleaning and “an additional deep cleaning” of the office and high-touch common areas, including restrooms, was done Tuesday.

Contact Capital Bureau reporter Bill Dentzer at bdentzer@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DentzerNews on Twitter.