EDITORIAL: Sisolak right to start reopening Nevada

Conventions, churches and athletes received some much-needed good news recently.

Last week, Gov. Steve Sisolak relaxed restrictions on activities that Nevadans took for granted at the beginning of the year. Conventions may now accommodate groups of 1,000 people, not including staff. Churches and other gatherings may meet in groups of 250. Larger venues may now host even bigger crowds. Mr. Sisolak gave the green light to 10 percent capacity at venues with more than 2,500 seats. That means 6,500 fans can cheer on UNLV as they play their home football games at Allegiant Stadium.

Performers no longer have to pretend they’re providing ambient background music instead of live entertainment. Playgrounds may reopen, subject to local government approval. There’s even a start date for youth sports tournaments.

There were plenty of reasons for Gov. Sisolak to take these steps. It starts with hospital capacity, of which Nevada has plenty. Coronavirus patients occupy less than 10 percent of licensed hospital beds in Clark County as of earlier this week. Statewide, the numbers look even better.

Originally, lockdowns were imposed as a way to slow — not stop — the spread of the coronavirus. It was assumed that a new and highly contagious virus would make its way through the population. Slowing the spread was a strategy to preserve hospital capacity. Nevada has more than accomplished that goal. It’s only logical that Mr. Sisolak would relax restrictions.

Next, these onerous restrictions have their own set of public health consequences. The lack of social events, such as youth sports, increases “the risk of isolation, anxiety, depression, substance abuse and unrecognized distress,” Gov. Sisolak wrote in a recent emergency declaration.

Finally, Gov. Sisolak’s instance on prolonged restrictions exacerbated the damage to Nevada’s tourism-dependent economy. In August, the state had the highest unemployment rate in the country at 13.2 percent. That is comparable to the peak of the Great Recession.

Losing both the National Finals Rodeo and the Professional Bull Riders World Finals means Las Vegas faces a bleak few months going forward. Safely accommodating larger crowds is desperately needed to rebuild the region’s economy.

Residents shouldn’t take Gov. Sisolak’s decree as a sign that the pandemic is over, of course. President Donald Trump’s recent bout with the virus should be a reminder of that. But single-minded public health experts tend to focus on one variable. A governor must balance many factors with an emphasis on personal freedom and individual responsibility. Gov. Sisolak’s latest moves are a step in the right direction.