Nevada plans full reopening of all counties at 100% capacity in June

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Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced plans on Tuesday to fully reopen all counties within the state to 100% capacity at the start of June.

Sisolak said during a press conference that all decisions made by the state have been thoughtful and deliberative throughout the pandemic as he laid out a path to return to a "more normal Nevada lifestyle" by June.

"As with every decision I’ve had to make throughout this pandemic, I know many people will say this is too soon, others will say it’s not soon enough," Sisolak said.

Over the past month, the governor added, daily new cases have stabilized at relatively low levels while more residents have received COVID-19 vaccines.

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As of May, statewide social distancing regulations will be ended and handed over to counties along without authority over other mitigation efforts, but residents will still be required to wear masks for the time being. 

Sisolak highlighted several goals, including getting Nevadans back to work and restarting conventions, which he suggested would accelerate the state's economic recovery.

Sisolak also said federal health agencies’ recommendation on Tuesday to pause injections of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine did not affect the plans.

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Several states eased lockdown restrictions to varying degrees earlier this year, including Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

However, infections rates in the U.S. are ticking up even as officials race to administer doses of COVID-19 vaccines to prevent serious illness and additional death.

There are ongoing concerns about the potential spread of more contagious variants in communities as well.

So far, an estimated 22.7% of the population is fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.