VICTOR JOECKS: Hospitals suggest Sisolak’s lockdowns are ineffective

There’s a low-key battle brewing between King Steve Sisolak and Southern Nevada hospitals.

The Nevada Hospital Association puts out a daily update on coronavirus hospitalizations. Usually, it’s mostly charts and data. On Tuesday, it provided a bit of commentary that indirectly but obviously slammed Sisolak’s handling of the coronavirus.

“On and off again closures appear to be building animosity and apathy among the public and are proving ineffective,” it said.

There’s little room for doubt that the group was referring to Sisolak’s coronavirus shutdowns. Shortly before Thanksgiving, the governor announced that he was putting the state into a “pause.” That included restrictions on Thanksgiving dinners, private gatherings and businesses.

Sisolak justified those restrictions based on concerns that the rapid spread of coronavirus in Nevada is straining medical resources. That’s a valid concern. The whole point of “flatten the curve” was to preserve hospital capacity to avoid excess deaths.

In Reno, medical officials are using a converted parking garage to treat patients. That’s a reality, even if President Donald Trump decided to shoot himself in the foot by implying it was fake.

But acknowledging that the situation is serious doesn’t mean Sisolak’s approach is working. Instead of sporadic lockdowns, the hospital association recommended focusing on social distancing, masks and isolation for those exposed to the virus.

The criticism of Sisolak didn’t stay up online for long. That same day, a new version of the report appeared — without the condemnation of intermittent closures.

The governor’s PR shop didn’t respond when asked if the governor’s office had talked with the association about the report. I asked Sisolak during Wednesday’s press conference if he agreed with the Nevada Hospital Association’s perspective on lockdowns. He dodged the question. “I don’t think they meant it the way some people are interpreting that,” he said. Not sure how else you can interpret that, but there you go.

This isn’t the first time that hospitals have taken an indirect shot at the governor. On Nov. 10, Sisolak warned Nevadans to stay at home or face new restrictions. The next day, Southern Nevada hospitals released a statement that they had “more available capacity than we did at the same time last year, before the pandemic began.”

Here is Sisolak’s problem. For months, he implied that the pandemic could be stopped if Nevadans gave up unprecedented amounts of freedom. He’s wielded that power over the objections of many, but the virus is spiraling out of control anyway.

The current outbreak isn’t the governor’s fault, of course. Highly contagious viruses can’t be outlawed out of existence. But when even hospitals are questioning the effectiveness of your response, it’s time to recalibrate.

Contact Victor Joecks at vjoecks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4698. Follow @victorjoecks on Twitter.