The Washoe County Health District will recommend bars immediately reopen because there are a record number of house parties amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We feel like it may be a better course of action for Washoe County” to have bars open where people can socialize in a controlled environment, with social distancing, masks and extra cleaning, district health officer Kevin Dick said Wednesday.

“There are probably numerous instances in our community that if they can’t get together at a bar, they are going over to somebody’s house to have a few drinks to socialize there,” Dick said. 

Officials: House parties, family gatherings a big spreader of COVID-19

According to the City of Reno, there have been a record number of calls about house parties over the past couple of months, including two at one house where more than 100 people gathered in the past three weeks. 

Dick has repeatedly said family gatherings and parties are a major cause of COVID-19 spread in Northern Nevada. Nine people at a family gathering over the July 4th holiday contracted the virus from a single person. One person in that family died. 

The existing closure of bars and breweries is set to expire on Thursday. The state’s COVID-19 task force plans to review data beginning at 10 a.m.for Clark, Nye, Elko and Washoe counties. The task force could decide to continue the mandate that pubs and taverns stay closed because of the rise in COVID-19 cases.

Dick said he has been working with the cities of Reno and Sparks to craft a policy on bars that will be up for consideration at Thursday’s task force meeting. 

Calls to police about parties on the rise  

According to Alex Woodley of the City of Reno’s code enforcement division, police have received more than 60 calls on house parties.

“These are calls that came to the police department, so there is a good chance there is a significant number of parties that are occurring that we don’t hear about,” Woodley said.

More: As COVID spread, Washoe officials resorted to personal connections to find test kits, PPE

Woodley said police on Wednesday were contacting the owners of the house where two 100-person parties were held in just the last few weeks.

“Unfortunately for us, there is no occupancy limit that is being regulated like we do with businesses,” Woodley said.

But police are following up and will be issuing citations to homeowners.

Woodley said he is encouraging the public to call in about house parties, and those parties may be used to trace cases if the party is linked to the spread of coronavirus.  

If it is linked to the spread of the virus, in addition to disturbing the peace a public nuisance citation could also be issued.

Siobhan McAndrew tells stories about the people of Northern Nevada and covers education in Washoe County. Read her journalism right here. Consider supporting her work by subscribing to the Reno Gazette Journal. 

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