A new mask mandate takes effect Friday for most of Nevada, requiring even vaccinated people to wear masks in indoor public places.
The order covers 12 of the state’s 17 counties, including those containing Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City and the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe.
Excluded are the counties of Humboldt, Pershing, Lander, Eureka and Storey, all sparsely populated.
Reno got a jump on the order, announcing that starting Wednesday masks will be required at public indoor settings of all city facilities.
Nevada’s previous mask mandate had been lifted on May 13, when the state aligned with the Centers for Disease Control guidance that fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear a mask in most indoor and outdoor locations.
On Tuesday, the CDC revised its recommendations, saying that even the vaccinated should wear a mask indoors in public in areas of substantial or high transmission.
As of Tuesday, Nevada’s seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases was 914, the highest in almost six months.
The CDC says 43% of Nevada residents are fully vaccinated.
