Sisolak says Nevada may start naming businesses and events identified as COVID hotspots

Gov. Steve Sisolak says Nevada could start naming places, including casinos, that put people at higher risk of exposure to COVID-19.

“I think that’s an option that’s available,” Sisolak said during a Monday conference call with reporters. “If we find a business that’s particularly egregious and has a high propensity of cases, that’s certainly something we could look at releasing.”

The first-term Democrat has faced mounting pressure to divulge more data on the role casinos have played in transmitting the disease. Gaming establishments, unlike bars and other “nonessential” businesses, have remained open throughout the virus’ latest spike in the Silver State.

Attorneys and media outlets have repeatedlysought a closer look at state data on case clusters and “superspreader” sites, potentially including casinos, that are known to accelerate the disease’s spread.

More:Nevada's bars are closing again due to COVID-19 surge. Are casinos next? Here's what we know

Related:Nevada is experiencing a COVID-19 surge — and state officials still can't say why

Sisolak cautioned that publicly identifying those spots could be difficult without unfairly implicating other events and businesses that aren’t adding to the pandemic.

“People might give you five, six, 10 or 20 places that they’ve visited where they might have contracted the disease, but they can’t specify the one place where they actually did,” the governor added. “We have to be very careful to make sure businesses aren’t harmed by half-information being put out there.”

Sisolak spoke just hours after the state debuted a new contact tracing app that officials are urging residents to use as widely as possible. 

Julia Peek, Nevada’s deputy administrator of Community Health Services, confirmed the app is capable of tracking a user’s location, but said officials were able to ensure that information remains confidential. 

“The strength of this app is in the quantity of people who download it,” Peek said. “The more people who use it the more useful it’ll be. 

“We ensured this maintains the confidentiality of individuals, but it will let you know that you’ve been exposed and the date when you were exposed.”

The app, dubbed COVID Trace Nevada, is free to download on Apple’s iOS App Store and Google Play. For more information, visit nvhealthresponse.nv.gov/covidtrace.

State officials on Monday reported 409 new cases and three additional deaths associated with the coronavirus.

Washoe County remains Nevada’s second-hardest-hit county, with just over 10% of the state's cases and 1,404 cases per 100,000 residents. 

County officials disclosed 107 new cases on Friday, the highest figure in eight days. No additional fatalities were reported.

James DeHaven is the politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal. He covers campaigns, the Nevada Legislature and everything in between. Support his work by subscribing to RGJ.com right here.