Casinos in Nevada Remain Closed, Reopening Plan Announced

Casinos in Nevada will remain closed. The government has announced a plan for the reopening of businesses.

The Stay at Home Oder is Active since March 17

Nevada’s Governor Steve Sisolak issued the stay-at-home order on March 17. The order effectively closed all non-essential businesses, including casinos. The stay at home order was then further extended on April 1 to last until the end of April.

The state of Nevada suffered a lot due to the pandemic, but Las Vegas seems to have taken the big hit. With the closure of non-essential businesses, massive losses were reported by business owners as well as employees. Some 300,000 people filed for unemployment benefits, which sparked a protest over the last weekend.

Although this is a difficult time for society and business, one thing is certain- the order by Governor Sisolak is in line with the recommendations by the White House and it has greatly helped Nevada State with reducing the spread of the virus and COVID-19 related deaths.

Reopening of Nevada’s Businesses in Phases

Governor Sisolak commented the current situation: “So the emergency is not over yet, but it has entered a new phase“. He continued that a phased plan will be implemented for the re-opening of Nevada’s businesses, which are closed for the moment due to the stay at home order.

Although COVID-19 cases are slowly decreasing in the state of Nevada, Sisolak wants to observe a steady downward spiral of hospitalizations as well. Results will need to be steady for at least a period of 14 days. Once this is accomplished, the state can start the plan for reopening businesses with phase one.

Phase one of the plan includes reopening of sporting events, movie theaters, churches as well as restaurants. All those businesses will be able to operate as long as they apply a strict social distancing protocol for their visitors.

The governor noted that for some period, restaurants may have to continue to offer takeout instead of dine-in. This is mainly because the restaurant seating offers will be limited to about 20-30% of the total capacity.

Casinos Not a Part of Phase One

The reopening of Nevada’s casinos is not planned for phase one. According to Sisolak, the final decision for the reopening of casinos lies in the hands of the Gaming Control Board. Although casinos openings are yet to be decided, the giant, Wynn Resorts turned to Governor Sisolak with a request for a gradual restart of the business by mid to late May.

Wynn resorts even went further and announced that they are in the process of implementing their own health and safety strategy upon resuming business.

Once their venues open, Wynn plans to reduce the occupancy, check the temperature of visitors at big gatherings, also – both visitors and employees must wear masks. Wynn is also looking to reduce the occupancy for elevators as well as contact surfaces such as doors by leaving them open or implementing an automatic mechanism.