Gov. Steve Sisolak announced, through his Vegas Golden Knights’ mascot Chance the Golden Gila Monster mask at a Sept. 29 press conference, that he is raising the limit on public gatherings from 50 to 250 people—and even higher for some larger venues. The new directive sets a 1,000-person capacity limit on tradeshows, conventions and conferences, given the possibility of mingling with other attendees. Conventions may have up to 250 people without approval, but need to seek approval for an event of between 250 and 1,000 people.
Under the new guidance, venues that hold 2,500 people or fewer will be allowed to welcome 250 people or 50 percent of their capacity, whichever is fewer. Attendees will be required to sit in their own seats during the event with no-standing-room audience allowed, though their seats do not need to be assigned or reserved in advance. The limit also only applies to each room, meaning that a church could spread out its congregation between its sanctuary and auxiliary meeting rooms so long as each room individually meets the 250 person or 50 percent limit, whichever applies.
The new guidance will also allow for gatherings of more than 250 people under certain circumstances so long as the gathering is no more than 10 percent of its total capacity. A sports arena, for instance, that can hold 10,000 people would be allowed to welcome 1,000 people, but the attendees would need to be divided into at least four sections of no more than 250 people.
Under the expanded 10 percent capacity limit for large venues, each section of 250 people would be required to have its own entrances and exits and must minimize the use of shared concession stands, restrooms and merchandise stalls between sections. Attendees will be required to have a reserved or assigned seat in advance, and staff may only work in one section. Each section will be required to be separated by 25 seats on all sides from other sections and each individual group attending the event, referred to as a “pod,” will be required to have six feet between them.
The entertainment format also plays a role. If performers or competitors join the audience at any point during a show or event, they’re counted in the capacity total. If not, they’re excluded. Live entertainment or other events with attendance of more than 250 people will require specific approval from a state oversight agency, such as the Gaming Control Board, Athletic Commission or the Department of Business and Industry
Sisolak said that declines in the states COVID-19 test positivity rate and hospitalizations since a peak over the summer warranted an increase in the 50-person maximum of gatherings, which has been in place since May. The new directive will take effect just after midnight on October 1, after his draconian measures forced SEMA (who were willing to take everything outdoors), to go virtual this year and the NFR Rodeo to go to Texas. His measures also forced CES to go virtual in 2021; other shows have been flocking to states with less tyrannical mandates.
Though Sisolak noted that the state’s COVID-19 test positivity rate and hospitalizations have decreased after peaking this summer, the test positivity rate is currently rising and hospitalizations have plateaued after weeks of declines since many people are mandated to take the test even when they are healthy in order to go to work. And unfortunately, as the inventor of the PCR test, Kary Mullis, who received a Nobel Prize for it in 1993, explains, the PCR test cannot be totally and should never be used as a tool in “the diagnosis of infectious diseases.” PCR, simply put, is a thermal cycling method used to make up to billions of copies of a specific DNA sample, making it large enough to study. PCR is an indispensable technique with a broad variety of applications including biomedical research and criminal forensics, but is being used by globalists to create fear and destroy the world’s economies.
According to Jason Hommel, author of “Scientists Say the COVID19 Test Kits Do Not Work, Are Worthless, and Give Impossible Results”: “PCR basically takes a sample of your cells and amplifies any DNA to look for ‘viral sequences’, i.e. bits of non-human DNA that seem to match parts of a known viral genome. The problem is the test is known not to work. It uses ‘amplification’ which means taking a very very tiny amount of DNA and growing it exponentially until it can be analyzed. Obviously any minute contaminations in the sample will also be amplified leading to potentially gross errors of discovery. Additionally, it’s only looking for partial viral sequences, not whole genomes, so identifying a single pathogen is next to impossible even if you ignore the other issues. The idea these kits can isolate a specific virus like COVID-19 is nonsense.”
Of course, since most mainstream media outlets won’t report the methodology about the PCR tests and most citizens won’t research it on their own, the Nevada governor feels justified in saying, “If we notice an undue uptick in our positivity and our hospitalizations, we maintain the flexibility to dial some of these things back. But I’m hopeful that won’t be the case.”
Sisolak said that the lifting of restrictions was meant as a signal that the state is “not only open for business,” but is also taking the proper safety precautions necessary to avoid a “rollercoaster” of rising and declining COVID-19 metrics. Of course, one would assume that he would know that restaurants and most small businesses operate under thin profit margins and that he is essentially driving them into bankruptcy with his unconstitutional mandates focused on the ever-elusive “safety” issue. As Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s Founding Fathers said, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
“We will open up in a safe, constructive manner, where you will feel safe, your families will feel safe, and all your event participants will feel safe,” he said. “When it comes to Nevada, the health and safety of our residents, workers and visitors who come to the state is too precious to manage the gradual reopening in any other way.”
Unfortunately, because mainstream media is determined to keep people from feeling “safe” from a virus with a 99 percent recovery rate, there are people who believe the case numbers are legitimately going up (even though the current spike is due to the contact tracer in people’s phones—they can count as cases people who have never been tested and are perfectly healthy without even notifying them) and that the death rate means it’s a pandemic (even though hospitals have been incentivized to count every death as a COVID death and the CDC admits that less than 10,000 deaths have been caused by the virus—making it less lethal than the usual seasonal flu and certainly less than the annual numbers of cancer, heart disease and traffic accidents).
The governor said he hopes the new directive and guidance gives businesses reassurance about planning events here and “if they’ve got one already booked for January, February, there’s no need to cancel,” proving again that he knows very little about event planning or tradeshows, which usually need to know a minimum of six months to a year out that they will be able to have their event without the government micro-managing their every function.
The directive also loosens restrictions on a number of other activities or places, including playgrounds if the local health authority deems it appropriate. The directive will not make any changes to current restrictions mandating that grocery stores, restaurants, museums and other retail stores limit their capacity to 50 percent. The state’s COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force voted earlier this month to reopen bars in time for the Raiders opening game after state officials mandated them closed in July.
Below are the released guidelines:
Celebrations, Ceremonies, and Events
Foreword: As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Nevadans will need to gradually adjust our lives to Nevadans. This can be accomplished through the adoption of healthy behaviors as well as mitigation practices within our gathering places, businesses, and industries.In consultation with federal, state, and local health officials, Governor Steve Sisolak signed Emergency Directive 033, effective at 12:01am on October 1, 2020, to facilitate larger gatherings and events while still diminishing personal contact and increasing the level of disinfection in high-use areas. The controlling guidance below accompanies the requirements set forth in Directive 033. In order to minimize the risk of contracting and spreading the virus, minimum strict adherence to safety and infection prevention measures must be followed. All event venues, gathering organizers, hosts and indiing.•Im proving ventilation.•Implementing adequate environmental disinfection.•Avoiding crowded areas.•Dividing large mass gatherings into smaller separate groups.
Preventing congestion of individuals in small areas and ensuring locations of one-way entry and exit movement within the venue.•Encouraging employees, participants, and individuals to stay at home if symptomatic or if they have recent history of contact with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19. •Asking employees or visitors who start to develop symptoms consistent with COVID-19 to leave the venue and/or seek medical care as appropriate.The proper implementation of safety measures may feel challenging; however, this is our best way to reduce the individual and collective risk the COVID-19 virus presents while ensuring Nevada’s businesses and economy can continue on the path toward full recovery. As set forth in Directive 033 and for the purposes of this guidance, a “gathering” is defined as an activity that draws persons to: (1) the same space, (2) at the same time, (3) for the same purpose, and (4) for the same duration of time. This guidance is specific to “gatherings” only and is based on the rules set forth in Emergency Directive 033. This guidance does not impact the current capacity limit of 50 percent for certain types of businesses and activities (e.g. retail, restaurants, bars, pools, gyms, etc).
MASKS AND FACE COVERINGS: As of June 24, 2020, individuals in Nevada are required to wear a face covering when they are out in public, per Emergency Directive 024. The emergency directive includes exemptions for children under a certain age and individuals who are unable to wear or tolerate a face covering due to medical or mental health conditions or other reasons. There are also situations in which a face covering may be temporarily removed, such as when actively eating or drinking, provided that social distancing is maintained between members of different parties. Businesses and venues may choose to have more protective requirements than those in the Directive. under certain circumstances. IMPORTANT:Large in-person gatherings can present risk for increasing the spread of COVID-19 if social distancing, face covering requirements, and other mitigation guidance is not followed. All organizations, individuals and families, and event planners are encouraged to provide remote services as an alternative to hosting large gatherings
Celebrations, Ceremonies, and Event Managing Occupancy
HOW TO DETERMINE CAPACITY BASED ON MITIGATION DIRECTIVES
Summary: Directive 033, effective at 12:01am on October 1, 2020, provides that the general public shall not gather in groups of more than 250 individuals or 50 percent of fire code capacity, whichever is less, in any indoor or outdoor area whether publicly or privately owned where the public has access by right or invitation, express or implied, whether by payment of money or not. A venue’s 50 percent capacity is dictated by the applicable local jurisdiction’s occupancy limit set for such venue. This provision shall not be construed to apply to gatherings of individuals at residential properties. However, it is strongly encouraged that gatherings at residential properties be capped at no more than 10 indoors and no more than 25 outdoors.See “Nevada COVID-19 Guidance for Gatherings at Private Residences”This guidance is based on space size, predictability and flow of movement, duration of time in designated shared space, and the potential spread of COVID-19 at large gatherings, even when precautions are taken.
PRIVATE RESIDENCES Gatherings, events, celebrations and ceremonies in private residences should be limited to a maximum of 10 individuals indoors and 25 individuals outdoors. Capacity should be decreased if necessary, to ensure a minimum of 6 feet social distancing between non-household individuals. Unless the home regularly functions as an event space or venue, events larger than those outlined above should not take place in a private residence.See “Nevada COVID-19 Guidance for Gatherings at Private Residences”
PUBLIC & PRIVATE GATHERINGS: Event Spaces & Venues (Indoor & Outdoor)*This does not include Trade Shows, Conferences, Conventions, Professional Seminars & Similar Gathering Activities (see separate guidance in this document)Event staff:For the purposes of determining occupant capacity based on Directive 033 and this guidance, event staff and event hosts will NOT be counted toward gathering capacity limits. The number of workers at a venue does not need to be included when considering occupant capacity for the purposes of this guidance. Staff are required to ensure the successful implementation of these guidelines and the safety of participants. Therefore, staff do not contribute to the capacity limit. All staff must adhere to all social distancing measures and guidance outlined in this document and any other guidance document specific to their employment.
IMPORTANT: Limit Capacity as Necessary. If the number of individuals creates congregation, congestion, or bottlenecking that does not allow for proper social distancing and compliance with this guidance, the venue must further reduce the number of individuals it allows to a level that achieves compliance with this guidance.
For more info, visit https://nvhealthresponse.nv.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Nevada-Guidance-for-Safe-Gatherings-Celebrations-Ceremonies-and-Events.pdf
