Nevada added back 3,400 jobs in September, the fifth month in a row the state recovered jobs lost to the coronavirus pandemic. However, Nevada still holds the second highest unemployment rate in the country, and our state’s economic growth continues to limp along at a slow pace.

The number one barrier to unleashing economic growth is containing COVID-19.

This should not be breaking news for anyone. We’ve learned valuable lessons since the spring. Medical advances have resulted in a sharp decline in mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and the promise of a vaccine is growing. But our economy and the thousands of businesses small and large that fuel it can’t wait for a vaccine or the next medical advance — the timeline is too unclear. We need to turbocharge now what we already know works: masks, contact tracing, and federal stimulus funding.

Since the start of the pandemic, masks have been a game changer in our ability to reopen our economy. They help limit the spread of the virus, and importantly, they increase consumer confidence which is key to driving business growth. But in recent weeks, news article after news article cites growing pandemic apathy. People are giving up on social distancing and failing to wear masks. I get it — I get tired of wearing a mask, too. But if we want to continue our five-month trend of gaining jobs back, the single most impactful thing we can do is wear a mask.

Our businesses are also in desperate need of fresh stimulus funding. Swift federal action and relief funding proved immensely effective in helping our businesses weather the pandemic earlier this year. The first round of federal relief funding helped thousands of businesses here in Nevada keep workers on payroll and keep their doors open. I’m encouraged by the renewed stimulus talks, and I hope we’ll reach an agreement on robust relief. 

Lastly, contact tracing will be key to opening larger scale events and conferences, which are essential drivers of economic growth and jobs here in Nevada. The Nevada COVID-19 Response, Relief and Recovery Task Force, which I chair, helped launch a contact-tracing app - COVID Trace - to help Nevadans discover whether they’ve been exposed to someone who tested positive. However, we still need more people to sign up, and we need a federal contact tracing program to bolster safe travel and tourism.

This outbreak isn’t subsiding. While a vaccine will be an incredible advancement in our fight against coronavirus, we simply can’t wait to take action to help our economy recover. The most effective current tools we have at our disposal are in our hands. We just need to use them.

Jim Murren is the former longtime chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts International. In March, he was appointed by Gov. Steve Sisolak to lead a task force to coordinate private-sector support for the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic.