Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said she is “painfully” aware of the many residents living paycheck to paycheck in the city and is asking Gov. Steve Sisolak to shorten the 30-day shutdown of nonessential businesses.

“I know we and they cannot survive any total shutdown of the economy for any length of time beyond the immediate week or two,” Goodman said during a city council meeting Wednesday.

She added that those working for small businesses and in hospitality, “cannot survive any lengthy shutdown. Thus my full efforts will be focused on keeping as many of our people as possible employed and asking the governor to shorten the projected shutdown.”

Sisolak announced Tuesday night plans for the state to shut down all nonessential businesses, including hotels, casinos and retail stores. The order is expected to apply to all bars, gyms, salons, malls and restaurants that do not provide takeout and delivery services.

Goodman gave her remarks during the public comment period of the meeting. Las Vegas is the only jurisdiction in Southern Nevada to hold public meetings during the spread of the coronavirus, The Nevada Independent reported on Wednesday.

Goodman drew on historical examples of epidemics, SARS, Ebola, Zika, saying “believe it or not, we’re still here.”

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The Las Vegas economy is reliant on tourism, a point the mayor drove home during her statement. She said it will “cripple” the local economy and said it may take several years to recover.

Stephen M. Miller, an economist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas said earlier this month it’s hard to predict what the coronavirus will mean for the city.

“If coronavirus sticks around for three months – a quarter of the year – it would have a significant effect on visitors, taxable sales, gaming revenue and employment in the hospitality sector,” Miller said.

Goodman finished her public comment remarks saying people should be able to live their lives and make decisions for themselves, but still following the federal government’s recommendations.

“So I ask, please governor, we need to be able to live our lives, support our families, and yes, keep Nevada strong but together," Goodman said. "But we can’t do that if we are continuously housebound, unable to work for such a lengthy time period."