萝莉少女

A few weeks ago, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak all nonessential businesses to close their doors. Then, a few days later, on March 20, he them to do so.

鈥淚f your business is nonessential to providing sustenance and for the everyday safety, health and wellbeing of Nevadans, you must shut down,鈥� Sisolak said.

But what鈥檚 an essential business? Beyond obvious ones such as hospitals and grocery stores, there鈥檚 no simple answer.

Take mining, which is under Sisolak鈥檚 order. Though when asked about it, Sisolak had a hard time explaining why.

鈥淚 do not claim to be an expert on mining,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are consulting with the professionals, the experts as it comes to that, the same as we do with construction. And we鈥檒l come back to you when I have more information.鈥�

Greg Walker, the executive managing director for Nevada Gold Mines, said he knows the reason.

鈥淣evada only has really two drivers for its economy,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淭he first being gaming and tourism and the second being mining and industry.鈥�

Walker said his company employs 7,000 people in Nevada and supports thousands of additional jobs indirectly. That鈥檚 essential, he said, especially when you look at rising unemployment.

鈥淭he product we produce may not be essential during this pandemic, but the fact that we鈥檙e one of the main engines still driving the economy and keeping [the] Nevada economy afloat is essential, and I鈥檓 pretty sure that鈥檚 how it鈥檚 viewed and that鈥檚 how we view it,鈥� he said.

But what about other industries and businesses who believe they鈥檙e essential for the economy, too, but aren鈥檛 on the list? Who decides? The federal government offers some , but they鈥檙e not clear either.

鈥淵eah, the guidelines are wide open. That鈥檚 in some ways the headline here,鈥� said Adie Tomer with the Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy think tank.

Tomer recently co-wrote a about how to protect essential workers during this pandemic. He said the Department of Homeland Security came up with its federal directions in mid-March, but those directions are vague.

鈥淲hat they鈥檙e saying is, 鈥楾hese are the industries or the businesses that should stay open.鈥� But there鈥檚 a catch there, right? They鈥檙e not saying who needs to show up for work,鈥� Tomer said.

Instead, those decisions are falling to individual employers, who have to pay attention to state and local directives as well. And those can be a moving target.

鈥淥ne week you might be deemed essential and the governors can change their minds on a dime. And all of a sudden you鈥檙e closed,鈥� Tomer said.

Where your business is located also makes a difference. In the Mountain West, the rules range widely. In Nevada, for example, cannabis dispensaries and pawnbrokers can . In Montana, painters and movers are .

Tomer said this patchwork can make things harder for companies and employees who don鈥檛 know whether they鈥檒l be able to keep working.

鈥淲e need to be nimble and reflect changes in different circumstances in each market,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut at the same time, what it also creates is a feeling of uncertainty. And that鈥檚 especially challenging when we鈥檙e effectively living in uncertain times already.鈥�

That uncertainty is vexing many in the business community. Cory Bettinghouse is the owner of Cory鈥檚 Lawn Service in Reno.

鈥淲e鈥檙e living hour by hour and day by day and things could change at any moment,鈥� Bettinghouse said.

Bettinghouse said he鈥檚 been relying more on guidance from business groups, in his case, the National Association of Landscape Professionals.

But that鈥檚 problematic because every state defines his industry differently. In Idaho, landscapers are , while in the rest of the region it depends on whether landscaping is considered a service that maintains the 鈥渟afety and sanitation鈥� of homes or businesses.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 one thing that鈥檚 been hard is just having an official place where all business owners can go to and be like, 鈥楾his is the cut and dry answer,鈥� 鈥� Bettinghouse said.

The stakes are high 鈥� even beyond coronavirus transmission. The penalties for violating these public health orders range from losing your business license to fines, or , depending on where you live.

As Capt. Jack Owen from Las Vegas鈥檚 Metropolitan police department said in a , 鈥淚t is Nevada law right now that all nonessential businesses must close, and we are enforcing the law.鈥�

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O鈥機onnor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, 萝莉少女 in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the .

Do you have questions about COVID-19? How has this crisis affected you? Our reporters would love to hear from you. You can submit your question or share your story .

Copyright 2020 KUNR Public Radio. To see more, visit .