Clark County evaluating if more needed to control coronavirus spread

Clark County is working to determine if additional closures or restrictions are necessary to stem the tide of the coronavirus outbreak after Nevada was named a coronavirus “red zone” in an internal report prepared for a White House task force.

“We are evaluating the information from the White House to determine if steps in addition to what the governor has mandated are necessary,” the county said in a statement posted to Twitter on Friday.

The county’s listing as a “red zone” in the internal document prepared for the White House coronavirus task force was reported Thursday by the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit newsroom.

Its inclusion, along with 17 other states, is based on Nevada reporting more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people last week and having more than 10 percent of diagnostic tests returned positive, the nonprofit reported.

The Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise metropolitan area and Clark County are specifically named as being in the “red zone,” the only metropolitan area and county in the state to receive the designation, which comes with recommendations to revert to more stringent control measures, some of which the state has already imposed.

Among the policy recommendations for Clark County, according to the internal report: closing bars and gyms, limiting social gatherings to 10 people or fewer and recruiting more contact tracers as community outreach workers.

The county said Friday that it was working with the Southern Nevada Health District, cities and community partners “on this important public health matter.” It also said it continues to monitor COVID-19 data and information, while it urged residents and visitors to wear face coverings, practice social distancing and avoid large gatherings.

Its response to the report comes a day after it and the state set records for reported COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period. On Friday, Clark County reported more than 1,200 new cases and 11 additional deaths, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.

Contact Shea Johnson at sjohnson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0272. Follow @Shea_LVRJ on Twitter.