EDITORIAL: Gov. Steve Sisolak lifts more restrictions amid ‘35-day downward trend’

Nevada is poised to enter “Phase Two” of its recovery plan as the state continues to make positive progress when it comes to the coronavirus. The same can’t be said of Gov. Steve Sisolak’s abysmal communication and messaging on the pandemic.

The good news is that Nevada has moved to the second stage of its recovery plan, the governor announced Tuesday. Almost three weeks after lifting some lockdown restrictions, the state has avoided setbacks and is in the midst of a “35-day downward trend,” he said. Testing is widely available. New positives continue to fall as a percentage of tests. The state’s hospital system has ample capacity. The trajectory has continued even though many restaurant and retailers began again serving walk-in customers, with some conditions, on May 9.

In a prepared statement issued late Tuesday — following an abruptly canceled briefing and an aborted attempt at a videotaped message — the governor revealed that the next stage will include the opening of casinos as early as June 4. Movie theaters, spas, swimming pools, museums, gyms, bars and churches may now also welcome back customers and worshipers under certain restrictions.

That’s a relief for many Nevada business owners and employees, as the state struggles with the nation’s highest unemployment rate. Absent a long-term jump in coronavirus hospitalizations, this latest step may also potentially boost confidence among reluctant consumers.

Unfortunately, the governor’s office struggled mightily to spread the good news.

Gov. Sisolak was originally scheduled to hold a news conference at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, but it was scrapped at the last minute. A news release explained that the governor, “out of an abundance of caution,” was limiting his exposure to others after he visited a workplace last week at which an employee had since tested positive for COVID-19. But the infected worker wasn’t even in the facility when Gov. Sisolak was present. We wish the governor continued good health, but if that’s all there is to this story, the phrase “out of an abundance of caution” is a colossal understatement.

The live briefing was supposed to be replaced with a pre-recorded video from the governor to be released later that evening. But that was the victim of those dreaded “technical difficulties.”

All this comes about a month after the governor used “Good Morning America” to announce his decision to extend Nevada’s lockdown into May, informing a national audience before he shared the news with the people he was elected to represent.

Information is vital to helping attack this invisible enemy, in terms of both justifying lockdowns and articulating a road map out of them. But rather than offer concise and regular updates, the governor has instead opted for sporadic and vague. As we enter Phase Two, he needs to do much better.