Did We Reopen Too Soon?
Las Vegas hotels and casinos along with other businesses across the valley have been in the process of reopening for two weeks now. Nevada is officially in Phase Two of the reopening plan laid out by Gov. Steve Sisolak. Over the last couple of weeks however, Covid-19 cases are again on the rise here and in at least 20 other states around the country. A kitchen worker at the Mayfair Supper Club at the Bellagio tested positive for the virus on Wednesday, and even though the club hadn’t been open since last Sunday, the hotel announced that it was closing the supper club indefinitely. In neighboring Arizona, three casinos that had reopened a month ago closed their doors on Thursday, citing a spike in cases of Covid-19 in the state. The closures are expected to last two weeks. Health experts say that especially here in Nevada due to the large amount of employees that work in the hospitality industry, more positive tests are to be expected. One member of Gov. Sisolak’s medical advisory team says that casinos can do more to lower the risk of transmission between employees and guests and need to enact even more stringent health and safety protocols. As visitors start to return to Las Vegas, observers around town say that on the Strip, only 30 to 40 percent of people are wearing masks and that percentage holds true in casinos on the Strip and local casinos. Health officials remind people that the pandemic is not over.
