If there is any city and industry that will work diligently to get back on track, it is Las Vegas and its Casinos/Hotels. This city has been literally shut down since the Coronavirus and has left hundreds of thousands of workers without a job and sitting home patiently or impatiently waiting for this to get back to “normal”. So, when we heard that Vega was working on a plan to get back into the game, no one was surprised.
What’s the Plan for Las Vegas?
According to Emily Zanotti of the Daily Wire, Wynn Casinos and Resorts are the ones kickstarting this program of getting the city back on track. Without the casinos and hotels such as Wynn’s, Vegas will continue to not only struggle but go out of business completely. Vegas is a microcosm of the country at large as well as the rest of the world in trying to find viable solutions to get back to business.
When the Governor finally declares Vegas open, it will not be a mad rush of players, tourists, or anyone else for that matter. It will be a trickle of people who will most likely be a bit anxious and questioning their every move from touching the chips to heading to the buffet. Certain venues might completely change as social distancing will be at the top of the list. Many gamblers are dealing with the crisis by trying to enjoy the online gambling alternative to Las Vegas. Although not the same as the land-based experience, its fills avoid that should be enough until things get back to “normal”.
A Union Gaming Analyst succinctly summed up the future conditions stating:
“We expect distancing measures to likely make it such that every other slot in a given bank is shut off, though, given configurations of slot layouts on casino floors, this doesn’t necessarily imply a 50 percent reduction of capacity…..”
I wouldn’t call this back to “normal”, but it does provide a sliver of the total plan for Vegas. As with all best laid plans something will inevitably go wrong and there will be significant updates and modifications.
On top of the social distancing certain events, places, and locations might be closed all together until it is 100% safe. Bars and Clubs will need to create more space for the patrons which could translate into fewer patrons, and the favorite of Bachelor Parties, the Strip Clubs, will most likely stay closed.
What Is Wynn’s Approach to Opening up the Strip?
According to the Wynn Las Vegas Health & Sanitation Guidelines these are what should be in place for Vegas to get moving:
“1. The governor’s appointed Task Force should be focused on COVID- 19 testing capabilities and safely reopening the economy.
- Reopen parts of the local Nevada economy in early May. Begin with reduced occupancy, physical distancing measures in place, temperature checks and no large gatherings. We all need to wear a mask. Wearing a mask is uncomfortable; however, it will allow our economy to reopen faster.
- Follow the data provided by a team of modeling experts tracking benchmarks based on the following criteria:
- Increases in COVID-19 testing velocity.
- Hospitalizations and deaths per million should not exceed the national average over any sustained period.
- Hospital critical care bed availability should be reserved based on a ratio of current COVID-19 patients in the event of a spike.
- Full transparent data should be public, web-based and accessible to anyone.
- Assuming in mid- to late-May we are still in line with the benchmarks, slowly begin to reopen the Las Vegas Strip with extensive safety measures in place.
- Monitor the data every day. If we need to, marginally pull back or move forward”
Again, everything looks great on a Power Point presentation, but as things move forward, and as they mention in #5, this will need a huge investment for monitoring the progress or lack thereof.
The Nevada Independent website provides the full report of Wynn’s strategy that could inspire others to slowly reopen Vegas. In a city such as this and its 100% reliance on visitors, it is commendable that they are creating a plan and making the first step to reopening Sin City.
