Nevada Governor Says Stay-at-Home Order Will Be Extended

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak speaks during a news conference at the Sawyer State Building in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 17, 2020. Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said he will extend his stay-at-home order, which was set to expire on Thursday.

Sisolak did not outline the length of the extension.

“Unfortunately, we’re going to have to extend the ‘Stay at Home’ order that we have for a little bit because we have not reached exactly where we want to get on the downward trajectory,” he said.

Sisolak said he believes the number of new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths “have plateaued.”

“So that’s what we’re looking for to continue to bring our economy back to life a little bit,” he said. “We’re going to ease some of the restrictions that we had previously as it relates to retail curbside pickup, some of our outdoor activities, we’re going to loosen up some of the restrictions on.”

Sisolak was speaking to ABC during an interview for its special “Pandemic: What you need to know.” Sisolak had asked Nevadans to watch the segment.

The Democrat on Tuesday said he would be presenting a reopening plan on Thursday.

The Las Vegas Strip skyline is seen as vehicles line up the parking lot around Boulder Station Hotel & Casino as they wait to get into a drive-thru Three Square Food Bank emergency food distribution site in response to an increase in demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 29, 2020. David Becker/AFP via Getty Images

Janeisha Lee of Nevada sets up a pop-up CCP virus supply tent in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 29, 2020. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Sisolak’s March 17 stay-at-home mandate required the closure of so-called nonessential businesses and forbade travel unless people were taking trips to get food, medicine, healthcare, exercise, or complete work deemed essential.

Most governors have begun allowing some businesses to reopen or announced dates on which they will do so.

Some local Nevada officials, including Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, have agitated for a faster reopening.

As of Wednesday, the state had performed 50,526 tests for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, a novel coronavirus from China, on 41,028 people. Of those, 4,898 came back positive.

The number of new cases has slowed in recent days, with 93 new cases reported on Tuesday and 115 the day before.

Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services doesn’t release information about total or current hospitalizations linked to the CCP virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease.

As of Tuesday, the state recorded 225 deaths from COVID-19.