Local government COVID information

The following is the latest recap of either procedures implemented by various agencies or organizations regarding COVID-19. For continual updates, check the LVN website and Facebook page.

City of Fallon

City Hall is closed to the public.

City staff will still be at work and available to assist residents and businesses via telephone or electronic means during normal business hours. City crews will also be at work as they continue to operate and maintain the city’s utilities and other essential service.

The city encourages residents and businesses to call City Hall with any questions or inquiries. General city questions or inquiries should be made to 775-423-5104; Engineering/Building Department questions or inquiries to 775-423-9863; Police Department questions or inquiries to 775-423-2111; and Municipal Court questions or inquiries to 775-423-6244.

The city also encourages customers to make utility payments by phone, online via fallonnevada.gov/residents/utilities, or by using any of the four utility payment drop locations throughout the city:

• City of Fallon parking lot, S. Carson St.

• Stillwater Plaza parking lot, 2105 W. Williams Ave.

• CC Communications parking lot, 1750 W. Williams Ave.

• CC Communications parking lot, 879 S. Maine St.

Due to the unprecedented nature and fluidity of the current situation, the city of Fallon will monitor the coronavirus on a continuous basis and keep residents informed as the situation evolves.

Continue to monitor the city’s website, fallonnevada.gov; its Facebook page; and/or follow the city on Twitter@CityofFallon for further updates and information.

The Lahontan Valley News will also publish any updated information from the city on its website and Facebook page.

Churchill County government

With a state of emergency being declared by the State of Nevada due to COVID-19, Churchill County is taking additional measures to help protect its citizens and county staff. If you are a member of a vulnerable population (those 65+ and anyone with underlying health issues) we strongly urge you to conduct any county business by phone or using online services.

Effective immediately, the following county services are closed:

• Parks & Recreation facilities, fields, and programs, including CARE

• Churchill County Library

• Churchill County Museum

Pennington Life Center (except for a drive-thru meal delivery service at the from portico from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.)

Churchill County officials made the decision to institute a “by appointment only” policy for the departments located in the County Administration Building, located at 155 North Taylor Street.

The following Administration Building offices will be available by appointment only:

Assessor’s Office: (775) 423-6584

Building Department: (775) 428-0264

Clerk/Treasurer: (775) 423-6028

Commissioner’s Office: (775) 423-4092

Comptroller: (775) 428-1414

County Manager: (775) 423-5136

Human Resources: (775) 428-1311

Planning Department: (775) 423-7627

Public Information Office: (775) 423-2266

Recorder’s Office: (775) 423-6001

Those needing to make an appointment should call the appropriate number listed above to schedule. Citizens are highly encouraged to utilize the County’s website at www.churchillcounty.org, as many options exist for doing business online or over via telephone.

Information on Churchill County actions regarding COVID-19 may be found on its website at: www.churchillcounty.org/covid-19 This page is updated regularly as information becomes available.

The Sheriff’s Office has closed the visitor’s kiosk in its front lobby. Inmates may still be “visited” using online services.

Law enforcement and first responders will continue to respond as needed.

Until further notice, only time-sensitive business will be conducted at the county’s public meetings and agendas will be abbreviated as such. Face-to-face business meetings discouraged.

Additional information on county services will be posted as details are finalized.

Churchill County Sheriff’s Office

(See separate article)

The Churchill County Sheriff's Office will continue to provide law enforcement services at this time with the following exceptions:

• Inmate video visitation in the front lobby has been suspended until further notice. If you wish to have video visitation, that can still be done from your home as usual; however, there is a cost involved. Inmates can always make outgoing phone calls and send and receive mail.

• We prefer to contact reporting parties in person when they make calls for service, but depending on the type of request, we may try to complete the call for assistance with a phone call first. This will minimize our contact with people for both the safety of the public and our deputies and families.

CART

Churchill Area Regional Transportation (CART) will only be providing essential transportation services to medical, nutrition, and employment appointments during this time of reduced services and social distancing.

Churchill County Water System

Churchill County Water System and their utility contractor SPB is announcing that in order to support community efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, Churchill County Water System is suspending water service shutoffs, effective immediately, for delinquent payments in the Churchill County Water System service area. This announcement is for the County water system only and does not include the City of Fallon municipal water system.

As a public utility Churchill County understands our obligations to the communities we serve, and that includes the personal safety of our neighbors through personal sanitation. We know a safe and reliable source of potable water is vital for hand washing, surface cleaning, and other measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

The policy will remain in effect until at least March 30 and will be reevaluated at that time considering the prevailing COVID-19 conditions. Customers who are behind on their bills are encouraged to bring them current or discuss their options with SPB customer service as the suspension of shutoffs is only temporary.

Maintaining service to our customers is a step we are taking to support the health and well-being of our customers and communities. We encourage everyone to read and follow the guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to protect themselves and their families.

Contact information for Churchill County Utilities:

Marie Henson

Telephone: 775-428-0264

Email: building-mh@churchillcounty.org

www.churchillcounty.org

And for SPB Utilities:

800-706-6531

customerservice@spbutilityservices.com

www.spbutilityservices.com

Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management, Carson City District, Stillwater Field Office, in coordination with local officials announced an emergency closure of public lands at Sand Mountain Recreation Area located about 25 miles east of Fallon on U.S. 50 in Churchill County.

Banner Health

Banner Health has developed a process to safely screen patients for the COVID-19 virus in their primary care clinics. In order to be screened in one of these clinics, patients would need to meet CDC criteria for testing. This can be determined through a phone conversation with one of our team members.

If you or a loved one has concerning symptoms, please call your primary care doctor’s office to discuss your symptoms and determine if in-person evaluation or testing is necessary. If you do not have a primary care doctor and would like to establish care with Banner, visit Find a Doctor tool on BannerHealth.com.

Patients that meet criteria for further in-person evaluation or testing will be scheduled for an appointment to be seen at one of our clinics and provided with instructions for how to safely enter the building in cooperation with the on-site medical team.

To create a safe and secure environment for our patients and health care workers during the COVID-19 outbreak, visitors will no longer be allowed in Banner hospitals.

There are two exceptions to the visitor restriction:

• Pediatric patients (under the age of 18) may have one adult visitor with them.

• Laboring mothers may have one support person with them.

Because we understand the importance of engaging with your loved ones, we highly encourage phone calls, FaceTime or video chats to stay in touch during this time.

More information and additional resources:

Our website, BannerHealth.com has the latest news about COVID-19 and changes at Banner due to the outbreak.

Pennington Life Center

Churchill County officials made the decision today to reduce or modify services at its William N. Pennington Life Center, effective immediately.

This decision was made in an abundance of caution and to protect the county’s vulnerable population of senior citizens vis-à-vis COVID-19.

Effective immediately at the Life Center and until further notice:

• The lobby area, front desk and dining room are closed. For those who come to the dining room for their mid-day meal, a drive-through meal service will be set up under the portico at the front entrance and packaged meals will be handed out from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• All recreational classes and activities are cancelled.

• Meals On Wheels home meal delivery will not be affected at this time.

• The beauty salon, as a private business, remains open at this time.

• Those with questions are encouraged to contact the Life Center at (775)423-7096 as phones will be staffed.

“Churchill County wants to be out in front of the COVID-19 issue. Protecting a vulnerable population is top-most in our minds and this concern led to our decision to reduce activities at the Life Center,” said Jim Barbee, county manager.

Information on Churchill County actions regarding COVID-19 may be found on its website at: www.churchillcounty.org/covid-19 This page is updated regularly as information becomes available.

Renown Health

Renown Health is prepared to safely screen, diagnose and care for patients with respiratory illness, including coronavirus (COVID-19). If you are experiencing respiratory symptoms, call 775-982-5000 to be directed to the appropriate level of care. This phone screening is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is offered free by Renown Health to our community.

Additionally, out of an abundance of caution, Renown staff are performing respiratory illness screenings at the entrances of all of our Renown Medical Group Locations to ensure the safety of our patients, staff and community.

Renown physicians and staff routinely practice for the potential of infectious disease outbreaks in our community to ensure we are prepared, working in collaboration with the Washoe County Health District and community partners.

Where particular public health risks are identified, we monitor the situation to ensure prevention and preparation strategies are the most contemporary, based on the most current clinical standards and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

Upholding patient confidentiality is a fundamental obligation for all health care providers and we will not be providing details about patients under our care.