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The return of pre-pandemic behaviors and crowded indoor gatherings, along with less-than-impressive vaccination rates, all helped to spark the increase in new cases, health experts say.

Proponents of tighter face mask restrictions on college campuses this fall on Friday urged the Nevada Board of Regents to go beyond a mandate for employees working in crowded indoor spaces approved this week by the Clark County Commission.

A member of Gov. Steve Sisolak’s COVID-19 Medical Advisory Team says Clark County’s mask mandate for employees but not the public won’t stop the spread of the more virulent Delta variant and is calling for mandatory masks at state colleges and universities in Southern Nevada.

COVID-19 cases have almost tripled in the U.S. in the last two weeks as the Delta variant explodes in pockets across the country. The cases are soaring especially in states with low vaccination rates.

Elected officials in tourism-dependent Las Vegas worried Tuesday about public health and the economic effects of a spike COVID-19 cases — particularly the highly contagious delta variant.

The start of summer has brought new uncertainties for the tourist mecca, however, with COVID cases resurging at among the highest levels in the country and new local government recommendations and mandates issued relating to masking.

Las Vegas officials on Tuesday decided against imposing a mask mandate for tourists on the Strip, citing tourism concerns.

Local and state officials are defending a partial mask mandate that appears rooted more in economics than science.