Novel Coronavirus

Novel Coronavirus in Nevada: July 22-28

By , , & • Jul 28, 2020
An illustration of an ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses.
Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

8:06 p.m. | July 28, 2020

Nevada Reports More Than 1,000 Additional Cases Of COVID-19
By Lucia Starbuck

The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,105 additional cases of COVID-19 Tuesday. The department reported 20 additional COVID-19-related deaths statewide. There are now nearly 759 COVID-19-related deaths in Nevada, and there have been nearly 586,000 tests performed in the state.

Which Tourists Pose Greatest COVID-19 Risk? Southwest Colorado Is Using Cell Phone Data To Find Out

By • Jul 28, 2020

A Utah-based company called Domo is showing public health agencies in the Mountain West where their COVID-19 transmission risk is coming from. Among other things, the service uses cell phone location data to identify which counties and states visitors are coming from, and pairs it with data about how bad the local COVID-19 outbreak is there. Public health officials in Southwest Colorado say the tool has shown that at the moment, the most active people in the area are people normally based in Texas, followed by people usually based in Arizona. 

Businesses In A Montana Border Town Suffer Without Traffic In And Out Of Canada

By • Jul 27, 2020

This story was powered by America Amplified, a public radio initiative.

The U.S.-Canada border crossing north of Eureka, Mont., is quiet these days. No buses or vans packed with mountain bikes and vacationing families. Just a single logging truck. 

"No traffic hardly at all," says David Clarke, owner of the First & Last Chance Bar and Duty Free Store.

Turnaround Time For COVID-19 Tests Grows Longer, Hampering Control Efforts

By • Jul 26, 2020

COVID-19 cases are still increasing around the Mountain West, and wait times to get test results are getting longer for many.


Niños De Nevada Podrían Recibir Nuevos Beneficios Monetarios De Ayuda Alimenticia Por La Pandemia

By Kristyn Leonard • Jul 26, 2020
Una familia recoge alimentos en el sitio de distribución.
Jeff Scheid / The Nevada Independent

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El 14 de julio el Comité de Finanzas Provisionales de la Legislatura aprobó por unanimidad más de $800,000 dólares en fondos de emergencia para un programa federal que podría dar casi $300 en asistencia alimenticia a cada niño de Nevada quien dejó de recibir sus almuerzos gratuitos o a precio reducido como resultado del cierre de las escuelas.

Nevada Children Could Soon Receive Hundreds Of Dollars In Meal Funds Through Pandemic EBT Program

By Kristyn Leonard • Jul 26, 2020
A family picking up plastic bags filled with food from a distribution site.
Jeff Scheid / The Nevada Independent

Lee en español.

The Legislature’s Interim Finance Committee unanimously approved more than $800,000 of emergency funding on July 14 for a federal program that could provide nearly $300 in meal assistance to each Nevada child who missed out on their free and reduced priced lunches as a result of school closures.

Food Insecurity In Northern Nevada Months Into The Pandemic

By • Jul 24, 2020
A woman unpacks a crate of cherry tomatoes for a distribution of fresh produce.
Food Bank of Northern Nevada

Several months into the pandemic, the Food Bank of Northern Nevada is seeing record numbers of people using their food assistance services. With many food pantries housed in schools, food availability over the summer is different than during the rest of the year.   

Diving Into How UNR May Operate In The Fall With COVID-19

By • Jul 23, 2020
An old building with blue sky.
Ed Bierman / Flickr Creative Commons

There’s a lot of uncertainty about what classrooms are going to look like in the fall, if students are going to be in classrooms at all. The University of Nevada, Reno recently sent in its fall plans to the state’s Department of Education to be finalized.

Novel Coronavirus In Nevada: July 15-21

By , , , , & • Jul 20, 2020
An illustration of an ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses.
Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

7:08 p.m. | July 21, 2020

Three New COVID-19 Deaths In Washoe Co.
By Noah Glick

The Regional Incident Command is reporting three new deaths from COVID-19 Tuesday. That brings the total deaths from the virus countywide to 105.

Nevada Creates Rental Assistance Program Amid Pandemic Fallout

By • Jul 20, 2020
A graphic from the Nevada Housing Division showing an umbrella protecting a house from a storm. The graphic reads "If you're struggling to pay rent due to COVID-19, there is help."
The Nevada Housing Authority via The Nevada State Treasurer's Office

Starting Monday, Nevadans who find themselves late on their rent payments can apply for assistance through a newly created state-run rent relief program. KUNR’s Paul Boger spoke with State Treasurer Zach Conine about the program and how it may help hundreds of thousands of people who may have fallen behind on their rent. 

With New Addition Of Colorado, Half Of Mountain West Now Mandates Masks In Public

By • Jul 19, 2020

Colorado is the latest state in the Mountain West to issue a mask requirement, joining Nevada and New Mexico. 

ICE Detainees Are Three-Quarters Of Infected Inmates At Nye County Detention Center

By Jazmin Orozco-Rodriguez • Jul 17, 2020
Exterior of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building in Las Vegas.
Jeff Scheid / The Nevada Independent

Lee en español.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees make up 23 of the 30 COVID-19 cases reported in the Nye County Detention Center this week, an ICE spokesperson has confirmed.

Detenidos Por ICE Suman Tres Cuartos De Casos COVID-19 En Centro De Detención Del Condado Nye

By • Jul 17, 2020
Edificio del Servicio de Inmigración y Ciudadanía de los Estados Unidos localizado en Las Vegas.
Jeff Scheid / The Nevada Independent

Read in English.

Los detenidos por el Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE) representan 23 de los 30 casos de COVID-19 reportados en el Centro de Detención del Condado Nye esta semana, confirmó un portavoz de ICE.

Mountain West Senators Push For Outdoor Recreation Spending To Boost Economy

By • Jul 16, 2020
Two hikers at the top of a peak in Yellowstone National Park.
National Park Service

As the pandemic wears on, leaders across the country are looking at how to economically recover after the COVID-19 pandemic. Some in the Mountain West are calling for more outdoor recreation spending.

Law Firms Step Up To Help Small Businesses Navigate COVID-19 Crisis

By • Jul 16, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has forced small businesses to deal with a lot of challenges they don’t normally confront.

“We have dealt with everything from HR issues, what to do when there are employee furloughs that are required, how to navigate different loan assistance programs, says Tara Malek, with the Idaho law firm Smith + Malek. “We’ve even talked to folks about contracting issues that they have with vendors. How do they negotiate or deal with vendors if there’s no revenue coming in to business?” 


Trump Administration Orders Hospitals To Reroute COVID-19 Data Away From CDC

By • Jul 15, 2020

The move came without much warning. 

“We were stunned,” Dr. Christine Hahn, the Idaho State epidemiologist, told the radio show Idaho Matters. 


Novel Coronavirus In Nevada: July 8-14

By , , , , & • Jul 14, 2020
An illustration of an ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses.
Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAMS / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

6:38 p.m. | July 14, 2020

State Leaders Urge Continued Vigilance Against COVID-19
By Noah Glick

State officials are urging the public to continue its vigilance in the fight against COVID-19, as more than 1,100 new cases are reported Tuesday.

ICE Agrees To Rescind Policy Barring Foreign Students From Online Study In The U.S.

By • Jul 14, 2020

Updated at 6:34 p.m. ET

In a swift reversal, the Trump administration has agreed to rescind a directive that would have barred international college students from the U.S. if their colleges offered classes entirely online in the fall semester.

Pandemic Complicates Tribes' Quest For Data Sovereignty

By • Jul 14, 2020

Imagine if your state health department put out a press release specifically naming your family, and listing the number of your family members with COVID-19. 

That, says Ken Lucero, is exactly how it felt in April when New Mexico announced a coronavirus hotspot in his community, the Pueblo of Zia. 

Faith And The Virus: How Some Idaho Churches Are Handling Reopening

By • Jul 13, 2020


How can congregations safely congregate, if at all?

Places of worship all across the country have been wrestling with the question since the coronavirus pandemic took hold.

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