Governor Steve Sisolak

Gov. Steve Sisolak signed a directive that gradually lifts the moratorium on evictions starting this week. The eviction moratorium has been in place since late March to protect Nevadans from housing insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck talked to Deonne Contine, the executive director of Washoe Legal Services, about what tenants can expect moving forward.

Nevada has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases and a steady increase in hospitalizations for the virus since the state entered phase two of Gov. Steve Sisolak’s reopening plan. In an effort to curb the spread, the governor signed a directive Wednesday that requires people to wear masks while in public, effective Friday. KUNR’s Lucia Starbuck covered the governor’s press conference this week for our media partner This Is Reno, and has the details.

Arbors Memory Care is an assisted living center in Sparks for seniors with Alzheimer's or dementia. In the span of about a month, 14 residents at the facility died from COVID-19. KUNR’s Anh Gray and Lucia Starbuck discuss what led to this outbreak.

Monday marks two weeks since 46-year-old George Floyd was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes. Floyd was pronounced dead shortly afterward.

Coverage of novel coronavirus is supported by the Mick Hitchcock, Ph.D., Project for Visualizing Science, a science reporting project from the Reynolds School of Journalism.

The deployment of the Nevada National Guard is being extended until mid-August to help with COVID-19 relief efforts. 

This weekend some businesses and restaurants in Nevada will open for the first time since mid-March. It's welcome news for many owners that have struggled to get by in recent months, but for some Nevadans, the phased-in approach to reopening isn't moving fast enough. Some city and county leaders are making their displeasure known.

Coverage of novel coronavirus is supported by the Mick Hitchcock, Ph.D., Project for Visualizing Science, a science reporting project from the Reynolds School of Journalism.

According to health officials, increasing COVID-19 testing capacity is one benchmark needed to gradually reopen Nevada. Early on in the pandemic, shortages of testing kits were an issue for Dr. Mark Pandori who runs the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory. That’s why he reached out to other scientists in the community to help fill the gaps. 

KUNR’s Anh Gray talked to one of them to learn if it’s possible to continue to ramp up production of testing materials.

Coverage of novel coronavirus is supported by the Mick Hitchcock, Ph.D., Project for Visualizing Science, a science reporting project from the Reynolds School of Journalism.

Editor's Note: This story aired before Washoe County Regional Information Center held a virtual press conference on April 24th. Washoe County Health District Kevin Dick provided new information about testing in the community. He says the state has requested the county to target 1,000 COVID-19 tests per day beginning Monday, April 27th. Dick says the county does not have the capacity to reach that target yet since there is currently still a shortage of testing supplies and equipment to process that amount. The district is currently working with the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory and other agencies to increase capacity, and will provide more information on the process next week. 

When will the state’s shutdown be lifted is on the minds of many Nevadans. Governor Steve Sisolak held a press conference earlier this week to update residents.

“Due to the criteria that was developed by the state team and in accordance with White House guidance,” Sisolak said, “as of right now, I can not give you a firm date as to whether we will meet all of this criteria to begin phase one reopening plans.”

As KUNR’s Anh Gray reports, those criteria include meeting health benchmarks, which will require more testing.

When will Nevada reopen its economy? That's on all of our minds right now. On April 21, Gov. Steve Sisolak discussed what criteria must be met for that to happen, but he didn't give a set timeline and there's still a lot left up in the air. KUNR's Michelle Billman and Bree Zender discussed what the benchmarks to reopen look like.

Despite Governor Steve Sisolak’s moratorium on evictions, some tenants in Nevada are reporting that they’re being harassed or bullied.

Hundreds of thousands of Nevadans have lost their jobs due to nonessential business closures meant to limit the spread of COVID-19. To protect them from housing insecurity, Governor Steve Sisolak ordered a moratorium on evictions, but there’s confusion on who is protected. Both tenants and landlords for weekly motels are concerned about what the future holds.

When Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak issued a directive to partially lockdown the state, he warned that businesses choosing to remain open may face penalties. What he didn't do is set specific guidelines on how to enforce the order. Instead, that responsibility was largely left to local law enforcement.

Like the rest of the country, Nevada is seeing a record-breaking spike in unemployment claims. In response, Governor Steve Sisolak placed a moratorium on evictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. KUNR’s Paul Boger reached out to Rita Greggio, a lawyer with Washoe Legal Services, a nonprofit legal aid organization, to talk about what the governor’s directive means.

Coverage of novel coronavirus is supported by the Mick Hitchcock, Ph.D., Project for Visualizing Science, a science reporting project from the Reynolds School of Journalism.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Governor Steve Sisolak addressed some of the state’s most pressing health care capacity problems. The governor touched on the lack of personal protective equipment, or PPE, and he committed to slashing red tape to bolster the medical workforce.

During an online press conference Sunday afternoon, Governor Steve Sisolak announced a statewide residential and commercial eviction moratorium. 

El gobernador de Nevada, Steve Sisolak, ordenó que todos los negocios no esenciales en el estado cierren al mediodía del miércoles, 18 de marzo.