Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak speaking in Dry Lake Valley, Nevada, in June 2021. Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) on Thursday rescinded the state's mask mandate in public places, including schools, effective immediately.
Why it matters: Nevada now joins several other Democrat-controlled states that have also ended their mask requirements and other restrictions meant to lower the spread of COVID-19 this week.
- Nevada's mask mandate will still be in place in health care facilities, on public and school buses and in airports, which are regulated by the federal government.
- Sisolak, who cited a "rapid" decline in cases and falling hospitalizations, said school districts and businesses can now set their own masking policies and encouraged organizations to put such policies in place.
By the numbers: Sisolak said the state is currently averaging 1,280 cases per day, well below the number of cases it was reporting when case number peaked in mid-January because of the Omicron variant of the virus.
- He added that around 800 people were hospitalized because of the virus in Nevada on Wednesday.
What they're saying: "We are at this point now because as Nevadans we always look out for one another — that’s our Battle Born spirit and that’s the Nevada way," Sisolak said in announcing the end of the mask mandate.
The big picture: Sisolak, who is up for re-election in the swing state this year, has faced pressure from business leaders and organizations to loosen the state's mask mandate, AP reports.
- Though Biden administration officials have said that pandemic restrictions could end "soon," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommend wearing a mask indoors in communities with high levels of transmissibility.
Go deeper: Blue states move to drop mask mandates