ELKO, Nev. (AP) - One of the rural Nevada counties Gov. Steve Sisolak has criticized for undermining COVID-19 restrictions has established a fund to raise private money to support businesses fined by state agencies for failing to follow the rules.
Elko County commissioners emphasized after they unanimously approved the fund on Wednesday that it won’t include any taxpayer money, according to the Elko Daily Free Press.
County Republican Party Chairman Lee Hoffman told the commissioners he was ready to become the first contributor, pledging $100.
The commission approved a resolution last week criticizing the governor’s restrictions on businesses and raising the possibility the county would provide assistance to cover fines.
Commission Chairman John Karr said the ultimate goal is an easing of the restrictions that set capacity limits, require masks and social distancing for all businesses and public gatherings.
“That’s why we’re asking the governor to rethink (the mandates) because there doesn’t seem to be a lot of science behind it, or even an acknowledgment that if you’ve been vaccinated that you can do things,” Karr said.
Sisolak and Attorney General Aaron Ford issued a joint statement Feb. 1 denouncing resolutions approved by four rural counties that attempt to defy state restrictions intended to slow spread of COVID-19. They said resolutions passed by Lyon, White Pine, Eureka and Elko counties have no force of law and cannot override the governor’s emergency directives
“Resolutions like this are mere statements and nothing more,” the two Democrats said. “Far from helping, resolutions like this send mixed messages to their residents and businesses - implying that they need not comply with emergency directives when, in fact, they must.”
Commissioner Rex Steninger maintains Sisolak’s directives are unconstitutional.
“We agree with the governor that our resolution is a mere statement, but that is all we have at our disposal and felt it necessary to make our voices heard,” Steninger told the Free Press on Monday.
“The restrictions are destroying our local businesses and we felt an obligation to speak out on their behalf,” Steninger said. “Our restaurants cannot survive at 25% occupancy and there is no scientific bases for that number.”
State OSHA officials haven’t done any inspections in Elko County over the past six weeks, according to the agency’s dashboard.
The last Elko County business fined by Nevada OSHA for violating coronavirus restrictions was Owens Market & Ace Hardware in Carlin for $2,603 in November. In August, AutoZone was fined $9,694, and Russell Cellular $3,470.
Stephanie Licht of Spring Creek said the county resolution gives “hope” to residents.
“We would like to see these policies continued, go forward with hope that we can get our country back, one way or another,” she said.
Critics included Jackpot resident Roberta Lineberry, who resents “the thought that all the money and effort (for compliance to the mandates) are being disregarded.”
Lineberry said she “and many other Jackpot residents are extremely upset regarding the idea of fundraising to cover costs of fines to local businesses who do not comply with Gov. Sisolak’s mandates.”
In other COVID-19 developments, the Southern Nevada Health District has released new data that shows where Clark County residents may have been exposed to the coronavirus.
While the most common exposure site is listed as “other,” the most common exposure sites that were specified were food establishments, with 13,146 potential cumulative exposures and 1,969 possible exposures in the last 30 days.
Next ranked were hotels or motels, which accounted for 12,219 total potential exposures. The next highest potential exposure sites, in order, were medical facilities, “work,” grocery stores, casinos, schools and long-term care facilities. They were followed by air travel, general stores or shops, gas stations, group living, gyms, bars, convenient stores and “other places with large groups of people.”
The exposure location data is based on voluntary self-reporting by people who tested positive in the county.
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