Nevada Gov. Sisolak orders K-12 students in Las Vegas, Reno to wear masks

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) has reportedly signed an emergency order for Las Vegas and Reno K-12 students to wear masks to fight the spread of the coronavirus.

In a statement, Sisolak’s office told The Associated Press that the governor signed the emergency order Wednesday for the counties of Clark and Washoe, which include the two metro area cities. 

The new state measure also applies to school employees — whether they are vaccinated or not — and is mandatory for students statewide while they are riding school buses, according to the AP. 

Sisolak’s office also said it has ordered other school districts in the state to adopt a mask mandate and daily COVID-19 testing for students, staff and volunteers who are not vaccinated. 

Clark County officials are also debating whether to require a vaccine mandate or daily COVID-19 testing for all county employees, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Nevada is suffering through another wave of virus cases, with the highly contagious delta variant leading a spike in hospitalizations and deaths. 

State officials confirmed on Thursday 1,135 new virus cases and 26 COVID-related deaths, the AP noted.

Forty-Eight percent of Nevadans are fully vaccinated, and with 58 percent have received their first dose, according to state health department data.

The Hill has reached out to Sisolak’s office for more information.