McCarran officials welcome Sisolak’s plea for greater mask enforcement

Though singled out by Gov. Steve Sisolak for what he deemed a lack of coronavirus enforcement, McCarran International Airport officials say they’ve been focusing on the safety of travelers and staff for several months.

“McCarran has worked to get the messages of wearing a mask, social distancing and practicing proper hand hygiene, among others, out to our passengers and the community in a variety of ways,” said McCarran spokesman Joe Rajchel, adding that officials welcome the governor’s encouragement.

“This includes placing signage in baggage claim and around the airport, regular overhead audio messages and weekly messages on social media,” he said. “All of these efforts are part of the “LAS All In” campaign launched in May.”

During a news conference Tuesday on the state’s COVID-19 response, Sisolak urged Nevadans to shelter in place as much as possible for the next two weeks to contain the disease’s spread as part of what he dubbed “Stay at Home 2.0.”

The governor also warned he would “be forced to take stronger action” if rising caseloads don’t come under control, and called out various businesses, including airports, for the failure of some individuals to comply with state directives.

“You’ve got two major airports in Nevada and I’ve been in both of them in the last week,” Sisolak said. “The compliance is beginning to fall short. People are taking their masks off when they get off the plane, they’re wearing them under their nose or around their chin. So for everyone’s sake, understand while you’re in one of the airports it is mandatory, mandatory, that you wear a mask at all times.”

Sisolak went on to note that the only acceptable times travelers shouldn’t wear masks at airports is when they’re eating and drinking, calling upon McCarran and Reno-Tahoe International airports to step up their mask enforcement.

“You have to wear masks in airports now, it’s not being enforced as much,” Sisolak said. “We need to do better.”

Rajchel said that even before Sisolak’s mention of the airport, McCarran has been continuously updating its safety measures and messaging, noting that crews recently increased signage aimed at educating travelers passing through the nation’s eighth busiest airport.

“Just this week we put up ads in the terminals encouraging passengers to download the state’s COVID Trace app,” Rajchel said. “We will continue to take these steps and will adjust accordingly as we all work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”

On Wednesday, the plethora of signage plastered around McCarran and regular announcements over the airport’s loudspeakers seemed to be working as just a handful of travelers were seen around the baggage claim area without a face covering. While the vast majority of people were following the state’s mask directive, social distancing around baggage carousels during a moderately busy time was generally not being adhered to.

After Sisolak announced a mask mandate announced in July, McCarran updated signage and partnered with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to pass out masks to arriving tourists.

“We have continued to expand the reach of this campaign within the airport,” Rajchel said. “Signage was originally placed just pre-security but has since been installed in post-security locations such as the trams and hold rooms.”

To date, McCarran has not been cited by the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration for violating COVID-19 regulations.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.