Nevada casinos may reopen June 4 if coronavirus cases don’t spike this weekend
Nevada’s hotel-casinos can reopen June 4 if the number of COVID-19 cases doesn’t soar during Memorial Day weekend, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said Friday afternoon.
Sisolak will hold a news conference Tuesday to confirm the June 4 date if health officials and the Nevada Gaming Control Board give their stamps of approval.
Nevada’s resorts have been waiting for the reopen order since March 17, when Sisolak ordered their closure to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Gaming brought in $12 billion to the Nevada economy in 2019, more than half of which came from the Las Vegas Strip, according to the CDC Gaming Reports.
Las Vegas restaurants are slowly starting to reopen. Expect social distancing, half-full dining rooms and costlier tabs.
If the governor gives the go-ahead, Caesars Palace and the Flamingo will reopen June 4, Caesars Entertainment said. Hotel rooms, along with gambling, swimming pools and a limited number of restaurants, will be available.
The company also on June 4 plans to open some of the retail shops and restaurants at Linq Promenade. The pedestrian mall’s anchor, the High Roller observation wheel, is expected to open the same day.
Tony Rodio, chief executive, hopes progress in the battle against COVID-19 and customer demand “will allow us to reopen more of our properties and bring back more of our colleagues as it is appropriate to do so,” he said in a statement.
Harrah’s Las Vegas hotel-casino and the gaming floor at the nearby Linq hotel-casino, also part of Caesars Entertainment, will reopen at a later date.
Activities such as bars, buffets, live entertainment, spas and valet parking will not immediately reopen, the statement said.’
When Caesars’ casino reopens, the new world means 3 max for blackjack, 6 at craps and every other seat at slots empty.
Self-parking will be free at most resorts along the Strip, including the two dozen or so properties operated by Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts.
Bellagio and New York-New York will be its first two MGM Resorts properties to reopen, but a spokesman would not confirm Friday afternoon whether those resorts would relaunch on June 4.
The Venetian and Wynn-Encore also on Friday could not confirm whether they would reopen their properties June 4.
Wynn-Encore said it would reopen June 4. It announced Friday that five of its restaurants would reopen May 29.
Its Allegro, Jardin, Lakeside, Mizumi and SW Steakhouse will be open for dinner. All will offer “Welcome Back to Wynn” prix-fixe meals besides their full menus.
Because valet parking will be closed, guests will have to self-park in the garage. All visitors will have their temperatures checked before entering the property and proceeding to the restaurant of their choice. Reservations will be required.
As more businesses reopen, public lands follow suit
Sisolak said he hopes California Gov. Gavin Newsom will not prevent California residents from driving to Nevada once the resorts reopen.
“I don’t want them quarantining their people when I want them coming to Las Vegas to gamble and to vacation,” Sisolak said Friday morning in a video conference with members of the Vegas Chamber. “Communication and exchange of information is what’s been the most beneficial for us.”
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