“Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physically distancing,” Walensky said. When you`re fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things you stopped doing because of the pandemic. Sisolak has not ruled out introducing stricter rules if there is a future increase in cases, or when he might lift the state`s two-year-old declaration of emergency. Sisolak noted that the new policy does not apply to airports, planes or public transit, where wearing a face covering is required by the federal requirement to wear a transport mask, which has been extended until at least March 18. The new policy, which went into effect Feb. 10, reversed an earlier decision to require masks on casino floors. Private businesses such as casinos and school districts can also impose masks, though the state would no longer require them for teachers starting Friday. Las Vegas Nellis Air Force Base and several other locations in the city reintroduced indoor mask requirements as Covid cases rose. About a year later — and shortly after Sisolak signaled that he would be willing to let local officials handle future battles against coronavirus policy — the governor issued an emergency order requiring residents of counties with high rates of COVID-19 transmission to wear masks indoors. The announcement came hours after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged all Americans, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks indoors in areas with high coronavirus transmission. Several casinos have announced plans to drop the mask requirement, including MGM Resorts, whose Las Vegas hotels include the ARIA, Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mirage, New York-New York and more, and the new Resorts World Las Vegas, which celebrated the news on Twitter with a video. The Strip`s newest megaresort, Resorts World Las Vegas, even went so far as to post a video on Twitter about ending the mask requirement and mixing a clip of Sisolak`s announcement with images of guests partying at his clubs. The update comes a day after Nevada Gov.
Steve Sisolak issued a policy aligning state policy with new CDC mask guidelines released earlier in the day. Fully vaccinated Nevadans can now remove their masks and the need for social distancing outdoors and most indoors. “No one wants to be the mask police and tell people to put them on when they`re having a good time,” Thayer said. The decision to require customers to wear masks comes at a time when COVID-19 cases are rising in several places in the United States. MGM Resorts — which operates Bellagio, MGM Grand and other properties in Las Vegas — is the latest entertainment company to require a face mask policy for guests at its properties across the country. Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, went from moderate to high on June 9. This designation, which is based on the number of cases and hospitalizations, is accompanied by a general recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that people wear masks. Sisolak pointed to a decline in cases and hospitalizations, as well as the greater availability of coronavirus tests, which were among the reasons he felt it was time to remove masks. Now that the pandemic seems to have evolved from something that controlled our lives to a more secondary nuisance, Covid has erupted again. The number of cases in Las Vegas has increased and some sites in the city have decided to reinstate the requirement to wear a mask indoors. CARSON CITY, Nevada – The masks are falling (again). AMC, the nation`s largest movie theater chain, has also revised its mask policy.
The exhibitor declared on the 18th. June that customers must wear masks in areas of the country where the policy is mandatory before changing course a day later, noting: “Those who are not willing to wear a mask will not be admitted or allowed to stay.” LAS VEGAS, NV — In the hours and days since Nevada lifted its statewide mask mandate, casinos have struggled to lift face covering requirements, with some even raising a virtual drink at the end of the term. Experiencing excesses during a Las Vegas vacation has different meanings for everyone, but no one imagines that their Vegas vacation involves wearing a mask (at least one that will protect you from Covid). While fully vaccinated guests can remove masks, staff at the MGM complex are still required to wear face coverings — even if they are vaccinated, Hornbuckle said. Now, just in time for the Super Bowl, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak has dropped the requirement to wear a mask indoors. This is very good news for Caesars Entertainment (CZR) – Get Free Report and MGM Resorts International (MGM) – Get Free Report, which together dominate the Las Vegas Strip. LAS VEGAS — Fully vaccinated guests are no longer required to wear masks at MGM Resorts hotels on the Strip. MGM Resorts quickly turned back. “Effective today, guests and employees will no longer be required to wear masks indoors or outdoors,” Bill Hornbuckle, CEO and president of MGM Resorts, wrote in a letter to employees, pointing to exceptions where government-issued warrants continue to exist in Massachusetts, Maryland and Michigan. The casinos were full, the Strip was even closed to cars to accommodate the huge crowds, and the requirement to wear a mask was a thing of the past. Wynn Resorts Ltd., which operates Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, will no longer require masks at Las Vegas properties.
The Venetian of Las Vegas Sands is also waiving the requirement to wear masks for guests and employees. The resort company said the new rules would take effect on June 26. Nevada`s new mask policy follows similar decisions to make masks optional for the nation`s governors, including California and New York. “No, we will not ask guests for proof of their vaccination status,” Brian Ahern, director of media relations at MGM Resorts, said in an email. “The State of Nevada and the Gaming Control Board do not require companies to verify a guest`s vaccination status, so it is assumed that a guest who is not wearing a mask is fully vaccinated.” “Under Governor Sisolak`s Emergency Policy 052, individuals are no longer required to wear masks in indoor public spaces of licensed gaming facilities unless a local jurisdiction still imposes such a requirement,” said Brin Gibson, Chair of the Oversight Committee. “If a licensee is subject to a local government`s mask requirements, council expects licensees to fully comply with them.” USA TODAY has reached out to several other casino chains to seek mask policy changes. The Reno Gazette Journal asked MGM Resorts how they would monitor whether guests without masks are vaccinated and whether staff would request vaccination records. Prior to Thursday`s announcement, Nevada was one of six states to have an intact mask mandate. Cynthia Ruiz and Cecilia Alberto, who work at Toucan`s Charlie`s dessert station in Atlantis, both said they would continue to wear masks while working. On June 24, MGM revised its face mask policy, adding, “Guests who do not wish to comply are asked to vacate the property.” Nevada has lifted its statewide mask requirement, making face coverings optional at Las Vegas casinos and other popular hot spots. This raised the specter that Las Vegas casinos could be forced to introduce a mask requirement.
Fortunately, at least for casino operators who want mask-wearing to remain optional, such a move doesn`t seem imminent, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. MGM CEO Bill Hornbuckle noted during the company`s fourth-quarter earnings conference call that the first quarter, or at least January, suffered due to omicron and the pandemic. However, he made it clear he expected a U-turn — and the call came days before the governor lifted the mask requirement, though it seemed likely that would happen. Nevada students and teachers have been required to wear masks in schools since August 2021, despite ongoing frustrations with enforcing the rule. In addition, the Red Rock Canyon Visitor Center has made masks mandatory, while the University of Nevada Las Vegas has strongly suggested students and staff wear them on campus, but has not made masks mandatory. This is not something casino operators would like to return, as the requirement to wear a mask discourages travelers from seeking a “normal” vacation. But if cases rise, is that something to worry about for Caesars, MGM, Wynn Resorts (WYNN) – Get Free Report and other operators? By order of the governor, the Nevada Gaming Control Board issued its own policy that also lifted the requirement to wear a mask “unless a local jurisdiction still imposes such a requirement.” Alberto added that ending the mask requirement is good for customers who don`t like wearing masks. She also expects to be busy as more and more customers will come to the casino and restaurants.