8 more COVID-19 positive tests in Clark County, 1 in Northern Nevada

The Southern Nevada Health District on Friday announced eight new positive cases of COVID-19, doubling in one day the number of cases of the new coronavirus in Clark County to 16.

Meanwhile in Northern Nevada, Washoe County announced a new case, boosting the state total to 20.

The new cases in Clark County range from a male in his 20s, who is isolating at home and is a close contact of a confirmed case, to a female in her 70s for whom no additional information was available. At least two of the individuals were hospitalized, including a female in her 40s in good condition and a female in her 50s in stable condition. At least three of the individuals were isolating at home.

Several MGM Resorts International employees have tested presumptive positive, according to a letter to employees sent Friday from MGM Resorts International and signed by President and Chief Operating Officer Bill Hornbuckle.

“We expect that there will be more in the coming days,” the letter said.

It was unclear Friday night whether those cases are part of the eight new cases the health district announced earlier in the day.

Co-workers and individuals who have had “close prolonged contact” with the employees who tested presumptive positive for COVID-19 have been notified.

“We are working with the health district to address these cases as quickly as we can,” the letter said.

Hornbuckle recommended all corporate employees whose teams are able to do so work from home beginning next week.

With the announcement of new cases, the health district issued wide-ranging public health guidance aimed at slowing the spread of the virus, including recommendations for postponement of large gatherings such as concerts, sporting events, conventions and large community events.

“We’re seeing a rapid escalation in cases, which is very worrisome,” said Dr. Vit Kraushaar, medical investigator for the health district. “And so I think our our guidance is only probably going to become more strict as time goes on.”

As COVID-19 spreads in the community, is it important to lessen “the opportunities for one person to spread the disease to another,” Kraushaar said. “Canceling or postponing nonessential large gatherings is a really important part of that strategy.”

The health district did not specify what constituted a “large” gathering.

School guidance

The health district’s guidance states that if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19 at a school, the district will “work with school authorities to determine the best measures including potential school closure.”

If multiple schools have cases, the district said, it will discuss with the Clark County School District and other school authorities the need for closure of “multiple schools, or the school district at large.”

For businesses, the health district recommended suspending nonessential employee travel and considering staggering shifts to reduce the number of people physically at work at any one time, along with minimizing or canceling large in-person meetings or conferences.

The health district urged the public not to go to hospital emergency departments unless absolutely necessary. They encouraged those with a mild cough, fever or other respiratory symptoms to first contact their doctor.

Northern Nevada

The new case in the northern part of the state is in a woman in her 20s who recently traveled to Germany and France, according to a release from the Washoe County Health District. The woman is self-isolating at home, and the district said it is looking to identify anyone she has come into close contact with to prevent any community spread.

Earlier Friday, Washoe County officials held a news briefing to announce that “nonessential” public meetings there will be suspended.

Washoe officials said they would not restrict public gatherings or take other tougher measures that have been imposed elsewhere in response to outbreaks.

“We are not doing this out of panic, but rather in the sense of a public health threat that should be taken seriously,” Washoe County Commission Chair Bob Lucey told reporters. He later clarified that any county meetings that do occur would remain open to the public.

The county will also suspend nonessential travel and observe additional guidance from health authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on social distancing to limit potential contagion in the county workforce.

With county schools set to close for their regular two-week spring break after Friday, officials have additional time to consider whether a closure may be required.

In Reno on Friday, Mayor Hillary Schieve signed a local emergency declaration that makes streams of federal aid to fight the outbreak available to the city and will allow it to obtain other resources and supplies. State and local governments stand to share part of $8.3 billion in federal assistance approved last week, and more is likely coming.

“We’ve had a very difficult time getting supplies, because everybody in the entire world is trying to go after the same masks, all of the sanitary products,” Reno Police Chief Jason Soto said at a Friday briefing by city officials.

The city’s declaration “allows us some new avenues in order to prioritize some of that that’s going to be coming in, so we can get it to our first responders, to our medical (workers), to all the people that really need it.”

This article was updated to remove an outdated reference to a hospitalized patient.

Contact Mary Hynes at mhynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Follow @MaryHynes1 on Twitter. Contact Bill Dentzer at bdentzer@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-0661. Follow @Dentzernews on Twitter. Review-Journal Capital Bureau Chief Colton Lochhead contributed to this report.