EDITORIAL: Gov. Steve Sisolak eases into restarting the Nevada economy

If you open, will they come? Nevada is about to find out.

Saying the state has met its “gateway benchmarks” set to control the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Thursday that he will allow a number of businesses, including restaurants, to launch limited reopenings on Saturday. The governor acknowledged that virus cases “will continue to rise,” but congratulated Nevadans for doing a “tremendous” job and helping the state make significant progress in the pandemic.

The governor’s pronouncement is also a tacit admission of the limitations of these historically unprecedented long-term stay-at-home edicts. It has been more than seven weeks since he first ordered certain business closures in March. “I know people are anxious,” Gov. Sisolak said. “I know people are eager.”

Thursday’s briefing featured a more composed, sure-footed chief executive. The governor finally offered much-needed specifics that were sorely lacking at previous news conferences. Restaurants, salons, barbershops, retailers and auto showrooms are among the establishments that may unlock their doors this weekend. Reservations or appointments will be required in many instances, and such businesses will be limited to 50 percent capacity and must enforce social distancing requirements.

This is a reasonable first step in the long road to recovery. The state, over the past two weeks, has seen a consistent downward trend in the percentage of people testing positive for the respiratory ailment and in the number of patients hospitalized. Nevada’s testing capacity has progressed significantly, and the state’s health care system has plenty of excess capacity to “manage any surge appropriately,” Gov. Sisolak said.

State public health officials will monitor the situation over the next few weeks in hopes of additional progress, which would allow officials to relax limitations on businesses at which people tend to congregate in large groups and in close proximity, including bars, nightclubs, gyms, movie theaters and casinos. Gov. Sisolak’s latest order will be in effect until May 30, but could be amended “sooner” if improvements continue. But he said he “did not want to prognosticate as to a date” for gaming establishments to reboot.

The most significant unknown as states begin to rouse their dormant economies, of course, involves the willingness of customers to slip back into their pre-pandemic patterns. While some Nevadans will no doubt do so eagerly, many others will take a more cautious approach. It will be incumbent on individual businesses, as the governor noted, to take steps that alleviate fears and help restore consumer comfort.

“We are not done with this fight,” Gov. Sisolak cautioned. “We can’t put our gloves down now.” He’s right, of course. But at least Nevadans are now free to come out of the corner.