Four New Cases of COVID-19 Confirmed in Washoe County

Total number of cases is 18

Reno, Nev. March 19, 2020. The Washoe County Health District (WCHD) confirmed four new cases of COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), bringing the total number of cases in Washoe County to 18.

The four new cases are:

• A woman in her 60s with recent travel history.
• A woman in her 30s who had close contact to a previously identified case in Washoe County.
• A man in his 70s with recent travel history.
• A woman in her 60s with recent travel history. This case contracted COVID-19 in a different state and is self-isolating there.

All cases are self-isolating and are in stable condition. The Health District is investigating and working to identify close risk contacts to prevent community spread of the disease. Due to medical privacy requirements and to protect their identity, no further information about the case will be released.

The Health District is no longer specifying case travel history.

Only use 9-1-1 for emergencies

Our dispatch agencies are reminding people to refrain from calling 9-1-1 for non-emergency issues related to COVID-19. Call volumes are extremely high and it’s imperative that 9-1-1 be used for life-threatening issues. See more info from REMSA on when to call 9-1-1.

COVID-19 Testing – Call Ahead

Washoe County residents are advised to call their medical provider or the Health District in regards to COVID-19 testing. Residents with symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath should call ahead before any visit to a medical provider or the Health District and not show up unannounced.

Washoe County Licensed Child Care Facilities Update

The State of Nevada has issued no mandatory closures of child care facilities licensed by Washoe County in light of the COVID-19 Virus. However, some owners have elected to close their doors at this time. Please review a complete list of child care facilities that have closed and those that remain open. Washoe County Human Services Agency will update this document regularly to keep the public informed.

A list of child care closures can be found on the Washoe County Human Services Agency website.

Washoe County Treasurer Suspends Delinquent Property Tax Collection

Washoe County Treasurer, Tammi Davis, has temporarily suspended delinquent property tax collection efforts. See the full release here.

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office suspending non-essential walk-in services

Front desk services offered by the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office are impacted by the need to observe current social distancing practices, including CCW permitting. The Sheriff’s Office front lobby will only be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday, but business will be conducted by appointment only. Here are details about impacted services.

COVID-19 Regional Messaging Team Established

The Public Information Offices in the region are collaborating to create a COVID-19 Regional Messaging Team to deliver COVID-19 updates in a unified manner.

The entities include: City of Reno, City of Sparks, REMSA, Reno Sparks Indian Colony, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, Reno Police Department, Reno Fire Department, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, University of Nevada, Reno, Washoe County, Washoe County Health District, Washoe County School District and Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. Also in the group are the area hospitals, Northern Nevada Medical Center, Renown Health and Saint Mary’s. 

In the future, those entities will be referred to as the Washoe County COVID-19 Regional Messaging Team.  The lead Public Information Officer (PIO) for this effort will be Adam Mayberry with TMDFP, and Deputy PIOs Scott Oxarart with the Washoe County Health District and Bob Harmon with the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.

Media: There are no media briefings scheduled at this time.

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