CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak is activating 700 additional National Guard members to help respond to the coronavirus outbreak, state officials announced Tuesday.
The personnel will join 106 soldiers and airmen that began last week to manage donations and distribution operations in Las Vegas and Reno. The activation becomes the largest in state history, officials said.
The additional personnel will provide medical support, food bank and warehouse logistics, transportation of supplies and set-up of alternate care facilities, officials said.
Most will report for duty in Las Vegas, where most of Nevada’s COVID-19 cases and deaths have occurred.
Health officials reported Tuesday that almost 3,100 people have tested positive for COVID-19 statewide, and 120 have died. More than 2,500 of those cases are in the Las Vegas area, where 106 people have died, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.
Most people with the virus experience mild or moderate symptoms such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, can face severe illness including pneumonia and death.
Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada was closed to visitors in response to guidance from White Pine County health officials, the National Park Service said.
The park covers more than 120,500 square miles (312,135 square kilometers) and is known for its ancient bristlecone pine grove and Lehman caves.
Many of America’s most popular national parks have closed to prevent people from congregating and spreading the contagious virus, including Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Zion, Bryce Canyon and Canyonlands.
Near Las Vegas, the vast federal Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area are closed, and many state parks including Valley of Fire and Rye Patch also are shuttered.
In other developments:
— Federal officials said McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas will receive almost $195.5 million in coronavirus relief aid, and 29 other airports in Nevada will also get money. Reno-Tahoe International airport is due to receive about $31 million and Elko Regional Airport more than $1.3 million. Some air strips are entitled to a few thousand dollars. The Federal Aviation Administration said the grants are to help pay costs of dealing with the COVID-19 public health emergency.