“We are seeing a significant drop in COVID-19 cases in Washoe County, however, we’re still experiencing case levels that are among the highest we’ve seen since March 2020,” said Kevin Dick, District Health Officer in Washoe County. “Masks are an effective mitigation method to prevent COVID-19 transmission and I encourage people to wear masks of their own free will to protect themselves and others.

I respect the Governor’s decision to end the mask mandate as I am sure it was not an easy one.  I want to thank him for his leadership and the actions he has taken for nearly two years to protect Nevadans from COVID-19.

Ending the mask mandate removes the requirement for people to wear masks.  It allows for people to choose whether they will wear masks, and whether they will require that masks be worn in their establishments. Many have pushed for the mask mandate to be dropped; now that this decision has been left to each of us it is important that we respect one another’s decisions.

We remind people to follow the Truckee Meadows COVID Risk Meter on our website at www.COVID19Washoe.com to see how the virus is impacting Washoe County.