Scenes from the government responses to the novel coronavirus pandemic:

On Monday morning at Cashman Center, I took part in a media tour of the new ISO-Q Complex for homeless people suspected of coronavirus exposure or showing symptoms of the COVID-19 virus.

Built in cooperation by Clark County and the City of Las Vegas, the 12-tent temporary complex has room for up to 500 patients in various stages of isolation and quarantine (ISO-Q for short.) Think of it as a pandemic M*A*S*H unit, albeit one elected officials present Monday said they hoped would not be necessary. Looking at the layout of the beds with their cloth partitions, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the photos of the temporary medical facilities constructed in 1918 during the deadliest pandemic in history.

Officials have been trying to live down the initial response to the pandemic: taping off the Cashman parking lot and placing the homeless, a vulnerable segment of the population, in rows on the asphalt. Photos of the tragicomic scene made Las Vegas an international laughingstock and reinforced the perception that government was doing the least it could to help those on the street.

That’s what made the ISO-Q Complex so refreshing. Even with a one-week delay it took shape quickly and is being touted by officials as the first of its kind in the nation. Even if that isn’t the case, it’s a novel response to the novel coronavirus and a reminder of the good local government can do with a focused effort that sets politics aside. Clark County Commission Chairwoman Marilyn Kirkpatrick and City Councilman Cedric Crear reminded reporters of that fact.

On Tuesday, as he has done throughout the pandemic, Gov. Steve Sisolak held a televised press briefing to give updates on the statistical status of the pandemic and related issues. He responded to the withering burden being placed on thousands of Nevadans out of work due to the pandemic and the statewide stay-at-home order. Like the leaders of most other states swamped by the virus and their best efforts to prevent it from routing the healthcare system, Nevada’s governor has made excruciating decisions in real time with lives hanging in the balance.

Cut to Wednesday morning at City Hall, where Mayor Carolyn Goodman kicked off a City Council meeting with a message for the governor without mentioning his name. Displaying the anxiety of a hostage reading a ransom demand letter, Goodman called for the end of the stay-at-home order and sweeping closure of nonessential businesses before it’s too late.

Some of her comments echoed her previous statements in which she downplayed the views of medical experts who implored the nation to take precautions that included social distancing and avoiding crowds. This time, though, she refrained from vilifying the press for “killing” Las Vegas.

At one point, she called the work of the mayor and council “essential, multifaceted jobs” comparable with that of first responders, health care and law enforcement officers. She reminded her audience, such as it was, that the elected officials had “taken an oath” to uphold the city charter and Nevada and U.S. Constitutions.

Essential? By the time Goodman finished she made herself sound indispensable.

Although she paused to offer condolences to the families of the more 100 Nevadans who have “tragically” died from the COVID-19 respiratory illness, she swiftly diluted the sentiment by reminding us that the state has 3.2 million residents and the loss is paltry less than one-half of 1 percent of the population.

Statistically speaking, her Trumpian tone asked, “What’s a hundred or even a few thousand compared to a bustling economy?” It should be noted that immune-suppressed children and medically fragile adults were not given equal time. As she reminded us, it was her bully pulpit.

Then Goodman warned of the greater losses being suffered by families put out of work, by the owners of the shuttered small businesses, and by the operators of her beloved casino and convention tourism industries. She made a point, albeit an obvious one: This effort takes the greatest toll on those who can least afford it.

“This shutdown has become one of total insanity in my opinion, for there is no backup of data as to why we are shutdown from the start,” Goodman said. “No plan in place how to move through the shutdown or even to come out of it. According to experts with whom I have spoken, this virus is not going away. It’s not going to be going away this month, next month, much like the flu and other viruses that have impacted populations around the world, this virus or a derivative thereof will be part of what we work through going forward.”

On my judge’s scorecard, I thought Goodman was at her dramatic best when she said, “From my perspective, I am asking: open the city, open Clark County. Open the state, for heaven’s sakes for being closed is killing us already. … The longer we wait to do this, the more impossible it will become to recover and return to the home we all know and love.”

Some will easily write off Goodman’s remarks as a hare-brained side effect of the pandemic: political anxiety masked as genuine concern from a term-limited ribbon-cutter in a strong-manager form of government. Goodman’s real problem was her lack of nuance. It’s something she has in common with President Trump, who each day sounds more like a blustery small-town mayor than a credible leader.

And she’s on the wrong side of most medical experts who believe that large parts of the country aren’t ready to reopen. And opening too soon only invites dire consequences and deadly setbacks that won’t be fixed by reminding people to wash their hands and buck up for the duration.

A partial reopening makes some sense at the appropriate time. As anticipated, Trump on Thursday offered an outline of what such a plan would look like. Sisolak in a televised press conference tried to downplay the mayor’s comments and shared his thoughts for the way ahead.

“The human toll that this virus is taking, the human toll is the most important to me,” Sisolak said, repeating that he would rely on the state’s medical and scientific experts before making a decision to loosen restrictions. A few moments later he added, “I know it’s tough to stay home, I understand that. But I know it’s tougher to have Nevadans die on your watch.”

With many states struggling to confront the spread of the virus and the crash of their own economies, it’s sheer cov-idiocy to think throngs of tourists can’t wait to fly to Vegas. Corporate casino executives know it. Everyone wants the economy to reopen, but there’s only one chance to get it right.

That’s the saddest part of the mayor’s lament. It misleads the same people she professes to care so much about.

John L. Smith is an author and longtime columnist. He was born in Henderson and his family’s Nevada roots go back to 1881. His stories have appeared in Time, Readers Digest, The Daily Beast, Reuters, Ruralite and Desert Companion, among others. He also offers weekly commentary on Nevada Public Radio station KNPR. His newest book—a biography of iconic Nevada civil rights and political leader, Joe Neal— “Westside Slugger: Joe Neal’s Lifelong Fight for Social Justice” is published by University of Nevada Press and is available at Amazon.com. Contact him at [email protected] On Twitter: @jlnevadasmith