Las Vegas in the United States is slowly welcoming back visitors back to its casinos, hotels and resorts, but Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak warns that Vegas will be a lot different from what it was before the lockdown was introduced.
The ‘Sin City’ has essentially been shut down since mid-March due to COVID-19. Now, almost 70 days later the city’s desolate resorts, bars, restaurants, and casinos are reopening their doors to customers under the condition that they wear facemasks, sanitize their hands regularly and stand or sit at least 1.5 meters away from everyone else.
‘We’re welcoming visitors back, but we’re going to take every precaution possible,’ Sisolak said during an online briefing according to CNN. ‘We’re encouraging visitors to come and enjoy themselves and have a good time.’
Hotels and resorts:
Hotels are among the first business to reopen, as those travelling from out of town or another country will need a place to stay. Las Vegas has roughly 150,000 hotel rooms spread across the Las Vegas Valley, however, only a fraction of these will be available to visitors.
On the famous Las Vegas strip, which runs from the ‘Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas’ to Sahara Avenue, a number of hotels have already reopened. These include New York-New York Hotel & Casino, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, the Flamingo Las Vegas, the Venetian and Wynn Las Vegas.
Certain resorts like Wynn Resorts properties will embrace the social distancing laws by using thermal imaging cameras at its doors to track entrants’ temperatures. The Venetian resort has also enlisted the help of 25 Emergency Medical Technicians to be on hand in case guests require immediate attention. Most hotels will reopen with pool access operating on reduced schedules.
Hotel housekeeping protocols have also been updated. All hotels and resorts reopening must comply with the procedural cleaning standards provided by the Centre for Disease Control, Southern Nevada Health District, World Health Organization and the local gaming control board.
‘We intend to go above and beyond to offer peace of mind,’ said John Flynn, Vice President of Administration at MGM Resorts to CNN. ‘We believe that collectively, we can still make a trip to Las Vegas a great experience and create lifelong memories.’
Casinos:
Casinos are set to reopen along with hotels and resorts, but they will be far different from how they were once remembered, as a variety of games will have to be re-imagined to comply with social distancing laws. Before the lockdown was implemented, a regulation Craps table could hold 14 players, seven on each end. Under new social distancing rules put out by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, casinos can have no more than three players at either end.
Other casino classics will receive the same treatment. Blackjack, which usually seats 6 people will now allow only three people to play at a time. The same rule applies for poker tables and roulette.
‘You’ll still be able to play your favourite games in the casinos, but the scene will be different,’ said Richard Broome, Executive Vice President Communications & Government Relations at Caesars to CNN, ‘Safety is our No. 1 priority, and we’re going to do whatever we have to do keep it that way.’
To make potential visitors even more comfortable, some casinos are considering adding plexiglass and acrylic barriers to certain table games to protect dealers from players and players from each other.
Restaurants:
Restaurants will also experience a few changes once they’re allowed to reopen. Buffets will remain closed for the foreseeable future while all walk-ins are strictly prohibited. All dine-in customers will be required to make a reservation before entering the premises. Guests will not be allowed to dine in groups larger than five, and all diners must be from the same household or living unit.
In terms of how the restaurants will setup, dining room areas will be set in such a way that no tables are closer than 1.5 meters from each other. Restaurants will make use of disposable menus and utensils wrapped in plastic, and waiters will be required to wear face masks when serving customers.
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