Santeliz said she knows there must be a mistake because she only received a few weeks of benefits before her claim stalled indefinitely, and the amount DETR said she owes is far more than she was ever paid. But it’s still a major stressor for a mother of two who is trying to keep a roof over her head, and she’s far from the only Nevadan receiving such news.

“This isn't about partisan politics. It's about fighting for the survival of people and seeing the humanity in those who are not defined by the worst thing they've ever done,” said Leslie Turner of the Mass Liberation Project, which is affiliated with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. “And we all should believe that COVID-19 shouldn't be a death sentence for anyone, including those who are incarcerated.”

News of the additional cases comes after 93 cases were initially reported among inmates last week, and after advocates had called since March for prison populations to be reduced to lower the risk of spread. Various state boards deliberated on the matter but the state ultimately took no action to release large groups of inmates.

Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Friday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

A spokeswoman for the secretary of state’s office said it has not received a 45-day update from another group (called “Save Nevada - Recall Steve Sisolak”) that also filed an intent to recall the governor on Sept. 3. Another two organizations have registered as a political action committee with the stated intent of recalling Sisolak, but have not yet filed any formal paperwork to do so.

Although claimants continue to report major delays in getting their benefits, and the first batch of hundreds of long-awaited Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) appeal hearings are just now getting underway, leaders working on the issue say they’ve made significant progress in disqualifying large groups of claims that appear fraudulent and bringing in a team of welfare eligibility workers to resolve legitimate claims and get Nevadans paid.

“This is yet another example of our state doing justice. It doesn’t always manifest itself in a conviction. Sometimes it manifests itself in an exoneration,” said Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford.

The number of people reporting they’re out of work fell by less than 2,000 over the week. Meanwhile, DETR is fielding an avalanche of new PUA claims that it says are “highly suspect” — more than 50,000 came in last week, about five times what had become the new normal.

“Like Nevada families, the State must budget with what we have in front of us in our current situation as we continue to monitor projections and updates,” Sisolak said in a statement.

“I would have never thought in my career as an economist, that you'd show me an employment chart and it looks like a bird flying into a window,” Legislative Counsel Bureau Fiscal Analyst Russell Guindon said during the meeting. “To see that kind of pronounced fall, it’s just crazy.”

Some issues they likely will have to deal with — ranging from changes that may come with the outcome of Ballot Question 1, which will determine whether the elected board is put under the oversight of the Legislature per Assembly Joint Resolution No. 5 to unknown consequences from the continuing pandemic — are yet to be seen.

Gov. Sisolak, at a press conference on Wednesday, pointed to the CDC moratorium as his response to Nevadans fearful that the end of the state directive might mean they’re booted from their homes. And he said he didn’t plan to extend the parallel state protections, saying doing so would be “duplicative.”

But out of more than $17.6 million in loans granted through the program, the Office of Energy leadership says that only $3.7 million of that initial sum has been paid back, with $11.8 million considered “bad debt” and written off by the state as of Tuesday. There are five loans — cumulatively worth about $2 million — that are still being actively paid off.

The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation (DETR) said this week that the state has been awarded more than $199 million. That’s on top of the original $224 million grant, which means that some beneficiaries could receive up to six weeks of the add-on.

In his role, Caleb Cage has been charged since March with helping to coordinate the state’s response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, including chairing the state’s COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force, which meets weekly to review action plans for counties at elevated risk for the spread of the virus. Now, he was confronted with the virus firsthand.

If Bolaños wanted to get the same amount of money to her husband now, she would need to send $600 to his account each month — something she can’t afford without taking on another part-time job. She’s upset she can’t help supplement what she described as insufficient food in the prison or provide small indulgences, like money to buy an ice cream at the commissary, to show her husband she cares.

“These final appointments to the CCB each bring their own unique expertise and insight to the table,” Sisolak said in a tweet. “I am confident their contributions to this board will only amplify the sound judgment and strong regulation carried out by the CCB.”

While the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did extend the eviction moratorium until the end of the calendar year — beyond the state’s moratorium ending Oct. 14 — the state’s rental assistance program continues to trickle out funds relatively slowly.

Churches that hold 2,500 people or less are allowed to convene 250 people or 50 percent of their capacity, whichever is less — a setup that means many churches are still well under the attendance levels they normally have.