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.

With the eyes of the tourism world watching, Las Vegas, which launched its post-pandemic era with great fanfare earlier this summer, will once again require workers to mask up while indoors, though regulations, for now, spare visitors.

As school supplies fill store aisles and August inches closer, it’s unclear whether face masks should be added to back-to-school shopping lists.