With new coronavirus cases surging across a reopened Nevada, particularly in and around Las Vegas, Governor Steve Sisolak has made facial coverings mandatory in all public spaces, whether publicly or privately owned, including casinos.
The order was announced June 24, the same day Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International became the first major gaming operators to require that masks be worn at all times inside their casinos nationwide, except when eating or drinking.
“Anyone who refuses to wear a mask, after being asked, will be directed to leave the property,” Caesars said in a statement.
MGM echoed that policy, stating, “If a guest is in need of a mask, we will provide one. We hope that our guests will do their part to help the collective efforts to curtail the spread of the virus. Guests who do not wish to comply will be asked to leave the property.”
The companies issued the new rules in the wake of widespread reports that large numbers of visitors on the Las Vegas Strip were crowding into casinos with no regard for basic safety protocols.
In Arizona, one of the first U.S. states to reopen with no mandated precautions, is one of several states reporting record increases in Covid-19 infections. Two weeks ago, three tribal casinos in and around Phoenix closed indefinitely after an undisclosed number of employees came down with the virus. At least one of them, a security guard in his late 60s, died a month after returning to work.
In Las Vegas, a kitchen worker at Mayfair Supper Club at MGM’s Bellagio tested positive for the virus earlier this month, the first confirmed case since Nevada’s casinos reopened June 4. That venue was closed for several days.
Last week, Caesars said two employees at the Flamingo Las Vegas had tested positive and that Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen & Bar at the Linq would be closed after an employee there tested positive.
Also last week, the Northside Café at Sahara Las Vegas closed after three employees tested positive, and the Cosmopolitan said it began contact tracing after two concierge employees tested positive, to notify other workers and guests who might have been exposed.
Sisolak’s order, which took effect June 26, was prompted by a disturbing rise in confirmed cases statewide and, perhaps of greater concern, an increase in the infection rate, which on June 24 reached 5.7 percent. That day also set a single-day record for new Covid-19 cases for the fourth time in the previous eight days. As of June 25, the state’s known infections had reached 14,457, nearly 80 percent of them in Clark County, which includes Las Vegas. The county also accounted for 82 percent of the 494 deaths statewide. The hospitalization rate and death rate did not change, so it’s unclear whether the spike was due to more tests being taken.
“Unfortunately, as you can see from the data, we have taken some steps backward,” the governor said. “Clearly for many, the excitement and enthusiasm for escaping our confinement and finally being able to enjoy dinner out with our families, buy new clothes or get a haircut overshadowed the good judgment we practiced in the previous months.
“For Nevada to stay safe and stay open, we must make face coverings a routine part of our daily life.”
The Culinary Union, the largest union representing casino employees in the state, had been pushing for mandatory face coverings from the outset, but originally guidelines laid down by the state and the Gaming Control Board extended only to employees, with a proviso that casinos “strongly encourage” patrons to do the same. The Control Board later extended the requirement to include table games players, but only where there were no plastic guards or other protective shields between dealers and players.
By contrast, California’s tribal casinos have required all visitors to wear masks since reopening, and last week, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said that when Atlantic City’s nine casinos reopen on Thursday, July 2, facial coverings will be mandatory for all.
“A mandatory mask policy is a good step towards protecting workers and the hospitality industry in Nevada, but much more has to be done,” said Culinary Secretary-Treasurer Geoconda Argüello-Kline.
In implementing its new requirement, Caesars CEO Tony Rodio said, “Scientific evidence strongly suggests that wearing masks and practicing social distancing may be the most important deterrents to spreading Covid-19 from person to person.”
He added that the casino giant would “continue to evaluate the latest recommendations, directives and medical science regarding the Covid-19 public health emergency and modify our enhanced health and safety protocols accordingly.”
MGM said, “It is clear that the coronavirus still presents a significant public health threat, and masks have proven to be one of the best ways to curtail the spread. We want guests and employees to feel comfortable that we are putting their health and safety first.”
