Coronavirus: Las Vegas Strip rules to end for vaccinated

The Las Vegas Strip and the surrounding area will be fully open to vaccinated guests, dancers, shoppers and club-goers starting June 1st. Clark County’s legislature on Tuesday followed CDC guidelines, ditching plans to peg store occupancy to coronavirus vaccination rates.

The unanimous vote came after public speakers expressed anger and frustration over the restrictions on the pandemic – especially its impact on school children.

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak on Friday adjusted the state’s requirements to the CDC recommendations, published the day before. Fully vaccinated people can end social distancing and wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor spaces, according to the CDC.

Most Las Vegas casinos are already 100% busy and have no social distancing under the supervision of the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

According to a Bloomberg report, Wynn Resorts Ltd. and Las Vegas Sands Corp., two Nevada casino operators, tell vaccinated guests that new guidelines from state and federal regulators allow them to no longer wear masks.

Wynn plans to deliver this message to customers on Friday night and trusts guests to take appropriate precautions based on their personal vaccination status, according to a statement. Sands said that while vaccinated guests are not asked to wear masks, staff are still required to do so for the time being.

MGM Resorts International, the largest casino operator on the Las Vegas Strip, and Caesars Entertainment Inc., the largest in the United States, have also removed face-covering requirements for vaccinated guests.

The companies are among the first to change their masking and social distancing guidelines following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s revised guidelines on Thursday. The agency said vaccinated people could forego wearing masks both indoors and outdoors in almost all circumstances.

Late Thursday, Nevada updated its health guidelines to say that fully vaccinated people will no longer need to wear masks indoors. It also says companies are not prohibited from asking customers about their vaccination status.

Earlier this week, the Nevada Gaming Control Board began giving casinos the option to lift social distancing requirements as well. Wynn, MGM and Caesars said they would lift capacity limits in their casinos.

Caesars was up 4.5% to $ 98.61 at the close of trading in New York, while Wynn was up 3.5%. The others also made progress.

Wynn, who has a 91% vaccination rate for Las Vegas employees, said it removed plexiglass partitions from all table games and slot machines.

MGM said it still adheres to an 80% capacity limit and 3-foot social distance requirement from the casino floor, including in restaurants and pools.

(With AP and Bloomberg entrances)