Las Vegas is gearing up to resume its role as the world's most iconic party destination after casinos were given the green light to re...
Las Vegas is gearing up to resume its role as the world's most iconic party destination after casinos were given the green light to reopen next week - with strict coronavirus safety measures that will likely put a damper on the fun.
Nevada Gov Steve Sisolak announced Tuesday night that casinos on the Vegas strip and around the state will be allowed to reopen on June 4, more than 11 weeks after they were shuttered due to the pandemic.
But Sin City will look a lot different than it has in the past thanks to new rules aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19.
Casinos that draw millions of tourists to Vegas each year have already begun installing safety measures including thermal imaging at entrances, hand-washing stations in the place of slot machines, and plastic partitions between players at card tables.
'We welcome the visitors from across the country to come here, to have a good time, no different than they did previously, but we're gonna be cautious,' Sisolak said.
'We've taken every precaution possible. I don't think you're going to find a safer place to come than Las Vegas by June 4, with the protocols that we've put in place, than the testing that we've put in place, with the contact tracing that will be in place by that time.'
Sisolak's exciting news came with one important caveat: If the state sees a spike in coronavirus cases after reopening, he's prepared to shut everything down again.
Las Vegas is gearing up to resume its role as the world's most iconic party destination after casinos were given the green light to reopen next week - with strict coronavirus safety measures that could put a damper on the fun
Many casinos have already begun implementing measures to keep patrons and staff safe. Pictured: Bill Hornbuckle, acting CEO and president of MGM Resorts International, poses behind acrylic barriers at a blackjack table inside the Bellagio on May 20
Casino floors are being adapted to ensure social distancing between patrons. Pictured: Seats are spread six feet apart inside Caesars Palace on May 21
Nevada has recorded 8,113 coronavirus cases and 396 deaths as of Wednesday morning.
Las Vegas sits in the heart of Clark County, which accounts for the majority of the state's infections with 6,287 cases and 331 deaths.
For Sin City casino owners eager to get back up and running amid the pandemic, the stakes could not be higher.
'Las Vegas can never be known as the place where people go and get sick,' said Robert Lang, executive director of the Brookings Mountain West think tank at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
While state guidelines on reopening casinos have not yet been released by Sisolak's office, many legendary establishments are already implementing their own measures to keep patrons and staff safe.
Caesars Palace, for example, is retooling its dice games, card tables and slot machines to allow for social distancing.
Dice will be disinfected between shooters, chips cleaned periodically and card decks changed frequently.
Signs everywhere will remind guests of new rules: Wash your hands; keep distance from others; limit your elevator ride to your sanitized room to just four people.
'You're going to see a lot of social distancing,' said Sean McBurney, general manager at Caesars Palace.
'If there's crowding, it's every employee's responsibility to ensure there's social distancing.'
Every other slot machine will be reactivated with stools removed so that customers won't be able to play next to each other.
Card tables will also have the number of seats reduced from six to three - with social distancing strictly enforced.
'Nobody will be able to be within six feet of any of the three customers that are playing,' Tony Rodio, CEO of Caesars Entertainment, told CNN Business.
'You're certainly not face-to-face.'
A sign advises people to minimized the spread of germs along the Las Vegas strip on Tuesday
Chairs are removed to keep social distancing between players as a coronavirus safety precaution at an electronic gaming machine in the closed Bellagio hotel and casino
The Bellagio replaced slot machines with hand-washing stations on the casino floor
Acrylic barriers were installed to separate players and dealers at blackjack tables
A barricade is seen outside the shuttered Caesars Palace on May 8
People stop to look at the fountains at Caesars Palace on Tuesday
Nevada has recorded 8,113 coronavirus cases and 396 deaths as of Wednesday morning. Las Vegas sits in the heart of Clark County, which accounts for the majority of the state's infections with 6,287 cases and 331 deaths. Clark County is shown above in dark blue
Employees at Caesars Palace will be required to answer a questionnaire, wear face masks during shifts and undergo temperature checks daily. Hand sanitizer will also be everywhere.
'They'll also be asked to complete a questionnaire before they returned to work for the first time to see if they have anything that would lead us to want to get them tested,' Rodio said.
Wynn Resorts properties and The Venetian, owned by Las Vegas Sands, plan to use thermal imaging cameras at every entrance to intercept people with fevers.
Smaller operators in Las Vegas and Reno will offer hand sanitizer.
'A gondola pilot wearing a face mask will be on board to steer the vessel,' a Venetian protocol says.
'Gondoliers stationed along the canal will serenade passengers from an appropriate distance.'
New state Gaming Control Board regulations require surfaces to be disinfected according to federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and 'increased attention' to high-touch hotel items like television remote controls and light switches.
Guests will get free masks at large resorts, but won't be forced to use them. For blackjack dealers, bellhops, reservation clerks, security guards, housekeepers and waiters, masks are mandatory.
'That's the most visual thing. Every employee will be required to wear a mask,' McBurney said.
An aerial view shows Bellagio Resort & Casino amid the shutdown on May 21
A Caesars Palace employee works to disable an electronic slot machine to ensure that players can't directly next to each other
Clear acrylic safety shield dividers are affixed to blackjack table at a Vegas convention center
Guests at Prime Steakhouse in the Bellagio hotel and casino will order using a QR code menu
Groups of reclining pool chairs are separated to maintain social distancing between groups on the patio outside the Bellagio
Similar measures are being taken at the neighboring Bellagio.
Bill Hornbuckle, acting CEO and president of MGM Resorts International, showed off some of the new features at the Bellagio last week, including hand-washing stations where slot machines used to stand.
Other rules: four players only at roulette, six at craps. Plastic partitions will separate dealers from players and players from each other at the Bellagio, three at each table.
MGM Resorts plans to open just two of its 10 Strip properties at first: Bellagio and New York-New York.
He promised Bellagio's iconic dancing fountains will restart as soon as the governor sets a date. Still, just 1,200 of the hotel's 4,000 rooms will be rented and casinos will be limited to 50 percent capacity.Hornbuckle said the company lost almost $10million a day during the shutdown.
'You're going to see less people, by control and by design,' he said.
Caesars Entertainment plans to open Caesars Palace and the Flamingo Las Vegas at first, followed later by Harrah's Las Vegas and the casino floor at the LINQ hotel-casino.
Lang called it unlikely that big crowds will return quickly, and said resort operators with deep pockets 'will probably allow a bargain moment' until business improves.
'First will be residents of Las Vegas. Then people getting here by car from California. Then domestic air flights. Then international,' the researcher predicted.
McBurney said that with nearly 4,000 rooms at Caesars Palace, he expected just one of six towers will be occupied.
'Once people know there's an opening date ... demand will increase,' he said. 'How much? I can't speculate.'
Bill Hornbuckle of MGM Resorts International said his company has lost $10million a day during the shutdown. He is seen showing off safety precautions at the Bellagio last week
The Bellagio will use infrared cameras to check employee's temperatures before each shift
The thermal camera shows clearly if a worker is not feeling well or suffering a from a fever
An infrared will track workers' temperatures as they come in for work at the Bellagio
Sisolak's announcement about casinos came after he canceled a planned news conference because he may have been potentially exposed to the coronavirus last week.
The governor said he learned earlier Tuesday that a workplace he visited last week has since had a worker test positive for COVID-19.
The worker was not in the building at the time and the governor has shown no symptoms of the virus in the five days since his potential exposure, he said.
Sisolak said he planned to take a test for the virus Wednesday morning and would release the results when he has them.
The Democratic governor instead released a statement of his prepared remarks and held a phone call with reporters Tuesday night from the governor's mansion in Carson City, where he says he is quarantining until he gets results.
Along with reopening casinos, Sisolak said he would allow in-person religious services of up to 50 people and other gatherings with the same capacity, while still asking people to wear masks in public and socially distance.
Gyms, fitness studios, movie theaters, shopping malls and bars would be allowed to reopen May 29, but with restrictions.
Brothels, night clubs and strip clubs must remain closed.
Sisolak made the announcement about reopening casinos on Tuesday from the Governor's Mansion (pictured) in Carson City, where he is isolating after potential exposure to a person infected with coronavirus
The Trump administration this week warned Sisolak that the initial phases of his reopening plan failed to treat religious and secular gatherings equally.
That phased-in reopening restricted the size of in-person worship services, while allowing restaurants and other secular establishments to reopen with less stringent occupancy restrictions, the head of the Justice Department's civil rights said in a letter sent to the governor Monday.
Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband last week sent a similar warning letter from the Justice Department alleging discriminatory treatment in California, where Gov Gavin Newsom later released guidelines for resuming in-person religious services in his state.
Last week, one of the nearly 200 churches that asked Sisolak in a May 14 letter to lift the ban on in-person worship services filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking a restraining order prohibiting the state from enforcing the ban.
Lawyers for Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley in rural Lyon County east of Reno said the Christian church has patiently waited more than two months for Sisolak to restore its First Amendment freedoms.
But 'instead of prioritizing religious freedom, the governor has moved 'non-essential' secular businesses and activities to the front of the line and pushed churches towards the back,' the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit highlighted what it characterized as a disparity of limitations imposed on churches while retail establishments were allowed to reopen at 50 percent capacity, restaurants were given the go-ahead for resuming on-site dining and permission was granted to 'open the doors of nail care salons, hair salons and barber shops'.
'This is unconstitutional and makes no sense,' the lawsuit said.
The letter to Sisolak came three days after President Donald Trump declared houses of worship essential during the pandemic and vowed to try to override governors who don't abide by his call to permit religious organizations to resume in-person services.
Holding faith-based gatherings to a different standard runs the risk of infringing upon constitutional rights if the state fails to meet certain legal prerequisites, Dreiband warned Sisolak in his letter.
He urged the governor to amend his treatment of religious organizations in his order.
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