对越来越多的新冠肺炎案例在拉斯维加斯，民选官员批准了一项新的室内公共空间口罩强制令，适用于所有县政府雇员，但该规定不包括游客，也与赌场或公立学校无关。
克拉克县委员会周二晚上在一场喧闹的紧急听证会后一致通过了这项动议，在听证会上，大多数发言者反对南内华达州卫生区要求所有公众在所有公共场合佩戴口罩的建议。
根据新规定，克拉克县的所有员工，无论其疫苗接种状况如何，都将被要求在县政府大楼的公共场所佩戴口罩，但不得在他们封闭的办公室或隔间内佩戴。
南内华达州卫生区的首席医疗官科特·洛夫博士告诉委员会，自6月初以来，该社区的新冠肺炎感染病例增加了两倍。主要由德尔塔变量驱动。
拉斯维加斯赌场和其他业务被允许完全打开6月初，在关闭数月或产能严重受限的情况下运营。
该县的COVID检测阳性率为13.8%，数据来自各州健康官方显示，仅在周二，克拉克县就报告了889例新的COVID病例。
周五，卫生区发布了一项建议，要求所有公众在公共场所佩戴口罩，“无论他们的疫苗接种状态如何。”
卫生官员说，克拉克县大约42%的人口已经完全接种疫苗。美国总人口目前有48.8%完全接种了疫苗。
“我们未接种疫苗的最大群体是有资格接种疫苗的12岁及以上的年轻人。我们也看到非洲裔美国人的低接种率，”洛夫说，并补充说，卫生区已经启动了一项外联计划，其中包括一项鼓励人们接种疫苗的社交媒体活动。
“最重要的是提高我们社区的疫苗接种率，因为我们知道疫苗非常安全，不管你听到了什么，都非常有效。
委员们表示，他们不能向公众发布全面的口罩禁令，因为他们对拉斯维加斯的赌场和其他私人建筑没有管辖权。
克拉克县委员会主席玛丽莲·柯克帕特里克说:“这与学区无关。"学区规则属于州教育委员会和克拉克县学区."
吉姆·吉布森专员提出了有限的口罩授权，他说:“我们必须做点什么。”
吉布森说:“我们不能允许医院在拥挤方面变得更加糟糕，我们不能让经济受到丝毫影响。“我们已经经历了一次关闭和一次启动。我们不能让主要会议选择去其他地方。”
口罩授权将于周四午夜生效，并将至少持续到8月17日欧盟委员会再次开会时。
克拉克县是内华达州人口最多的县，约有230万居民，包括拉斯维加斯、北拉斯维加斯和亨德森。
民主党州长史蒂夫·西索拉克对委员会通过的口罩授权表示赞赏。
西索莱克在推特上发布的一份声明中说:“我支持克拉克县委员会利用他们的地方权力，在内华达州南部大量社区传播的情况下，以及在我们继续共同努力增加新冠肺炎疫苗的可及性和信心的情况下，发布这一缓解措施。”。
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一些企业主，比如拥有一家手表设计和维修公司的本·库西奥(Ben Cucio)告诉委员会，他担心，如果该县的新冠肺炎危机继续恶化，最终将实施全面的公共口罩禁令。
库西奥说:“人们不会赚到任何钱，他们也不会假装不得不面临另一次停产的现实。
绝对展览公司的首席执行官托德·科伦说，他支持委员会采取行动。
“我认为这是伟大的第一步。我们必须向我们的游客证明，拉斯维加斯是一个安全的地方来参观，”科伦告诉美国广播公司拉斯维加斯分公司。“正在考虑参加商展的参展商只想知道展会是安全的，我们采取了正确的措施。”
Mask mandate imposed on county employees in Las Vegas – but not tourists or casinos
Alarmed by the rising number ofCOVID-19 casesin Las Vegas, elected officials approved a new indoor public space mask mandate for all county employees, but it excludes tourists and has no bearing on casinos or public schools.
The Clark County Commission unanimously adopted the motion Tuesday night following a raucous emergency hearing, in which the majority of speakers opposed a recommendation from the Southern Nevada Health District to require all members of the public to wear masks in all public settings.
Under the new rule, all Clark County employees, regardless of their vaccination status, will be required to wear masks in public spaces of county buildings, but not in their enclosed offices or cubicles.
Dr. Cort Lohff, chief medical officer for the Southern Nevada Health District, told the commission that COVID-19 infections in the community have tripled since early June,driven largely by the delta variant.
Las Vegas casinos and other businesseswere allowed to fully openin early June after months of being closed or operating under severely limited capacity.
The county's COVID test-positivity rate is at 13.8% and data from statehealthofficials showed that 889 new COVID cases were reported in Clark County on Tuesday alone.
On Friday, the health district issued a recommendation to require all members of the public to wear masks in public settings "regardless of their vaccination status."
Health officials said that roughly 42% of the population in Clark County is fully vaccinated. The U.S. population overall currently stands at 48.8% fully vaccinated.
"Our biggest pockets of unvaccinated are younger folks, 12 and older who are eligible for the vaccine. We are also seeing low rates among African American folks," said Lohff, adding that the health district has launched an outreach program that includes a social media campaign to encourage people to get vaccinated.
"The most important thing is to increase our vaccination rates in our community because we know that thevaccinesare very safe and despite what you heard, very effective," Lohff said.
Commissioners said they could not issue a full mask mandate on the public because they have no jurisdiction over casinos and other private buildings in the city of Las Vegas.
"This has nothing to do with the school district," said Marilyn Kirkpatricks, chairperson of the Clark County Commission. "The school district rules fall under the state Board of Education and the Clark County School District."
Commissioner Jim Gibson, who proposed the limited mask mandate, said, "We have to do something."
"We can't afford to allow hospitals to become more worse in terms of their crowding and we cannot afford to have this economy suffer in the slightest," Gibson said. "We have already been through a shutdown and a startup. We cannot afford to have major conventions choose to go elsewhere."
The mask mandate will is scheduled to go into effect at midnight Thursday and will stay in place until at least Aug. 17 when the commission meets again.
Clark County is the most populous county in Nevada with about 2.3 million residents and includes the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson.
Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, applauded the mask mandate the commission passed.
"I support the Clark County Commission for using their local authority to issue this mitigation measure amid significant community transmission in Southern Nevada and as we continue our joint effort to increase access and confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines," Sisolak said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Some business owners, such as Ben Cucio, who owns a watch design and repair company, told the commission he fears that a total public mask mandate will eventually be imposed if the county's COVID-19 crisis continues to worsen.
"People are not going to make any money and they're not going to make any semblance of a reality having to face another shutdown," Cucio said.
Todd Koren, CEO of Absolute Exhibits, a company that builds exhibits for trade shows and conventions, said he supports the commission for taking action.
"I think it's a great first step. We have to prove to our tourists that Las Vegas is a safe place to come and visit," Koren toldLas Vegas ABC affiliate KTNV. "Exhibitors who are thinking about coming to a trade show just want to know that it's safe and that we're taking the right measures."
