Governor Issues Directive 44 To Terminate Statewide Social Distancing Mandates

Last week, in declaring his goal for each county to fully reopen by June 1, Governor Sisolak announced that statewide social distancing mandates will transition to local authority on May 1 in accordance with the Roadmap to Recovery timeline previously announced. Today, he issued Directive 44 to accomplish these changes.

Directive 44 gives county governments the authority to manage “certain COVID-19 related mitigation measures, including restrictions on businesses and public activities.” As of 11:59 p.m. on April 30, 2021, it terminates the social distancing and hygiene considerations set forth in Directive 21, Section 2 of Directive 007, and any “other directive provisions mandating statewide social distancing.”

The statewide mask mandate will remain in effect for all Nevadans. Directive 44 explicitly provides that all “businesses and employers shall continue to require employees who interact with the public to wear face coverings as set forth in Directive 24.” Moreover, the Nevada Gaming Control Board will maintain authority for COVID-19 mitigation measures over all gaming entities. All other employers “shall abide by all other guidelines promulgated by NV OSHA and the Local Plan adopted by the county in which the business is located.”

To understand what will be required by each county, it may be helpful to review materials posted by the COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force which regularly meets with local authorities to review their COVID-19 mitigation plans. On April 22, the Task Force will consider the plans of the following counties: Churchill, Clark, Douglas, Elko, Eureka, Humboldt, Nye and Washoe. Written materials are available on the Task Force’s webpage, and the meetings are available for streaming or replay on the NV Health Response YouTube channel.

Finally, Directive 44 addresses large gatherings and schools in detail. It also terminates, as of May 31, a number of the Governor’s earlier directives, including Directive 6 (addressing public bodies), Directive 37 (addressing mitigation measures), and Directive 40 (addressing live entertainment). We encourage all employers to carefully review Directive 44 and contact us with your questions. 

KZA Employer Report articles are for general information only; they are not intended and should not be construed to be legal advice. Reading or replying to such articles does not establish an attorney-client relationship. In addition, because the subject matters and applicable laws discussed in Employer Report articles are often in a state of change and not always applicable to every type of business entity or organization, readers should consult with counsel before making decisions based on the same.