WELLS, Nev. (News 4 & Fox 11) — A brothel owner in Wells announced today safety procedures that she plans to adopt once Gov. Steve Sisolak gives the go-ahead to reopen the state's legal brothels.

Madam Bella, owner of Bella’s Hacienda, said that reopening Nevada’s licensed brothels will be a challenge amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and she intends to meet the challenge head-on with clear guidelines to ensure the safety of the brothel’s sex workers, guests and staff.

“Since the governor’s reopening plan closely mirrors the White House guidelines to Open Up America Again, I expect legal brothels to be allowed to open our doors by at least stage two of the Governor’s phased reopening, along with bars,” Bella said. “But until there’s an effective and readily available vaccine for COVID-19, it certainly can’t be ‘business as usual’ at the brothels. I’m announcing my procedures for reopening my brothel in order to be proactive and transparent, so that my customers know that the courtesans and I have every intention to reopen safely, and stay open.”

Bella’s said there are several key procedural changes that she plans to adopt throughout the coronavirus crisis, including additional testing protocols, integration of personal protective equipment, and temperature checks.

She said she wants enough COVID-19 test kits to be made available to brothel physicians so that a test for COVID-19 can be added as part of the weekly sex worker testing done at the bordello, which already includes mandatory tests for sexually transmitted diseases.

“A brothel, like a nursing home, involves a group of people living in a communal environment and sharing common areas like a kitchen and gym. Regularly testing each courtesan residing at the brothel for COVID-19 will be crucial in order to reasonably ensure the health of the sex workers living alongside each other,” Bella said. “It will also give potential clients peace of mind in knowing that the ladies are free of coronavirus, as several of our customers are of advancing age and may be considered at-risk persons with regard to the virus.”

Bella hopes that the availability of testing won’t be an issue by the time the brothels reopen.

“Testing will be an enormously important element to reopen many Nevada businesses, from factories to casinos, so I’m hoping that COVID-19 test availability will be adequate for our needs by the time I reopen.”

Bella will also require patrons of the brothel to wear face coverings while on the premises until a vaccine is available.