Reported 530 Visitors to Nevada Got Infected with COVID-19

According to the latest data, estimated 530 visitors to Nevada have been infected with the novel coronavirus. Casino workers have warned about customers not complying with protocols.

Some 530 Visitors to Nevada Infected with Coronavirus since June

Estimated 530 visitors to Nevada have been affected since shuttered casinos reopened on June 4, a new data revealed. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, some 530 visitors have tested positive for COVID-19 by August 15.

Of the total 530 infections, 347 visitors got infected between opening date and July 25, the department revealed. However, Nevada has successfully contained infections from spreading in most other places, the survey suggested. All 530 visitors were tested in the state whereas only 11 visitors, according to official data, tested positive after returning home.

It’s possible for more visitors to have been affected or to have been asymptomatic, but no data was collected. Nevada’s officials have said that they work closely with officials from other states who notify them about infections of returning visitors. So far, Nevada has received notifications from Arizona, California and Ohio.

Northeastern University’s Emergent Epidemics Lab head Professor Samuel Scarpino has cautioned that the low-numbers weren’t accurate. In fact, Scarpino described the interstate reporting system as antiquated and unreliable.

Speaking to the Review Journal, Scarpino said that the numbers were low due to low and inaccurate reporting rather than they actually being low. Meanwhile, some 68,000 cases have already been identified throughout the state of Nevada.

Are Casinos Safe According to Employees?

While Nevada and Gov. Steve Sisolak have been adamant when it comes to enforcing safety measures in Las Vegas, some casino employees have been concerned about the way measures were being enforced in the Strip.

According to a report published by The Daily Beast, anonymous casino employees levied serious accusations at unnamed properties. Workers called the casinos they worked in the “Wuhan of the Strip,” suggesting that the rate of infections was high.

Based on the interviews with workers, casino members of the staff were forced to fight with vituperative customers on daily basis and force them to wear masks and comply with basic COVID-19 protocols.

Some employees argued that infected employees were returning back to work in three days, a statement that seems to be the exact opposite of what Gov. Sisolak has been calling for. More importantly, the governor has sent an unequivocal sign that he would prosecute any offenders that endanger others.

According to the governor, though, it’s important to protect businesses and not to assign blame without proof. Recently, Nevada passed an anti-defamatory law to protect businesses in Las Vegas and elsewhere in the Silver State from frivolous lawsuits.

The governor specifically had this to say: “People might give you five, six, 10 or 20 places that they’ve visited where they might have contracted the disease, but they can’t specify the one place where they actually did. We have to be very careful to make sure businesses aren’t harmed by half-information being put out there.”

While there is evidently reason for concern, Gov. Sisolak is trying to balance between the right call to protect business integrity and weed out wrongdoers. However, tracking of COVID-19 will have to improve and rowdy customers may need to be banned from casino properties indefinitely.