Democratic Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has tested positive for COVID-19.
Sisolak told reporters Friday that he was not suffering any symptoms after a Friday morning routine rapid test came back positive, PBS.org reported.
As part of a regular testing protocol, I underwent routine COVID-19 testing on Friday, November 13 in Carson City. A rapid test provided a positive result. I also received a diagnostic PCR test and those results are pending at this time. pic.twitter.com/bfI16HlTpk
— Governor Sisolak (@GovSisolak) November 14, 2020
“I’m a little tired, but I’ve been tired since March when we started fighting COVID,” Sisolak told reporters. “I think this just puts a spotlight on the fact that you can take all the precautions that are possible and you can still contract the virus. I don’t know how I got it, but we’re going to quarantine and get through it.”
The governor’s positive tests came during a November case spike in the state that has seen 1,000 to 1,500 cases per day and a record 1,857 on Friday.
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak says he has tested positive for COVID-19 amid a statewide surge in cases.
— Jonathan Lemire (@JonLemire) November 14, 2020
Sisolak on Wednesday gave the state’s 3.08 million citizens “two weeks” to take action to decrease cases before further COVID-19 restrictions take effect.
“We have two weeks that’s it,” the Nevada governor said during a Tuesday press conference, KTVN reported. “I’m not going to come back in two weeks and say I’m going to give you another chance.”
Sisolak asked Nevadans to voluntarily stay home for two weeks.
“Please just give it a chance for two weeks,” he said, calling the initiative “Stay-At-Home 2.0.” “Can we please try to get this under control for two weeks? If you don’t have to go out, please don’t go out. Reduce your time it public to what is necessary. Limit all exposures to all outside your household.”
“If someone comes to visit your house without a mask on, tell them to put one on,” he added. “Tell them to put one on to protect themselves and protect you. That’s what we have to start doing. You need to start thinking about other people. Don’t just think of yourself.”
The Democratic governor called for “citations, fines, and potential license suspensions” against businesses not enforcing statewide mask mandates. (RELATED: Dr. Fauci Estimates Vaccine Will Be Available To Anyone Who Wants One By April 2021)
Nevada has seen 116,737 confirmed COVID-19 cases and a total of 1,893 so far during the pandemic. However, daily deaths have been spread out and have not approached the August 20 high of 38.
The Nevada governor is the second Democratic governor to test positive for COVID-19, joining Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, who tested positive in September. Three Republican governors have also tested positive.