This note was translated into Spanish and edited for clarity from a English Version.
Governor Steve Sisolak announced Thursday that he has directed his medical task force to evaluate the possibility of requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for students to enroll in Nevada public colleges and universities.
The measure, announced in Las Vegas, is the governor’s latest public push to require vaccines under certain conditions and comes as COVID cases and hospitalizations have risen amid the rapid spread of the disease. Delta variant in Nevada.
The announcement also follows a policy change his office made. in July to require either evidence of vaccination, or weekly COVID testing for state employees, who includes thousands of Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) employees.
The governor stopped short of ordering COVID restrictions such as capacity limits or requests for industries such as gambling and gambling to require vaccines. Instead, he indicated that he would ask a medical advisory team for additional recommendations on how to make large meetings safer.
Still, the president said that requiring vaccinations from college and university students was a key step in curbing the spread of the virus.
In a statement hours after Sisolak’s announcement, NSHE Chancellor Melody Rose and Board of Regents Chairperson Cathy McAdoo – who declined to answer questions from The Nevada Independent on a possible student vaccination mandate last week – they said the NSHE would be prepared “for any guidance offered by the State Board of Health.”
If the governor’s medical advisory team recommends a mandate, it will forward the process to the state Board of Health; And according to a NSHE legal opinion issued this week, it is the Board of Health, not the Board of Regents, the only legal authority to implement a mandate through state law that allows schools to require other vaccinations for enrollment.
The timeline for when a mandate would take effect remains unclear, although any implementation is likely not immediate. Sisolak stressed that a new term will not affect plans for face-to-face classes during the fall semester.
In addition to a possible mandate for university students, the governor added that he also directed his medical work group to consider vaccine recommendations for health workers and those who work with people in vulnerable situations.
Amid concerns that large indoor events such as sports, concerts and numerous other gatherings have proven difficult environments to enforce the new mandates on mask use, Sisolak said he directed his medical team to re-evaluate “how to do make large gatherings safer. “
Sisolak added that the gambling industry could also be part of the discussion about vaccination requirements, but stopped to say that he wanted the Gaming Control Board to order that all casino employees be vaccinated; a measure that could create legal challenges.
Regarding a vaccine mandate, Sisolak said he “expected the casinos to do the right thing for themselves.”
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