Major events in Nevada may add to the growing number of places in the US where crowds are being asked to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19, the governor said Monday.
Hours after the announcement, the Las Vegas Raiders went public with a plan enabled by the new policy to require vaccines – not masks. Starting with the Raiders’ game against the Baltimore Ravens on September 13, fans will have to prove they have been vaccinated. Then they don’t have to wear masks – the first policy of its kind in the NFL.
The team said it will use CLEAR’s free mobile app and Health Pass feature to screen fans, according to CBS Las Vegas subsidiary KLAS-TV.
The Raiders said they will offer fans the opportunity to get vaccinated before the Raiders games on-site at Allegiant Stadium so that newly vaccinated fans can enter, but with a mask, KLAS says.
The Las Vegas Review journal stated that fans who have either vaccine of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine are allowed to enter but must wear masks until they are fully vaccinated two weeks after their second vaccination.
Fans ages two to eleven who are not eligible for the vaccine can still attend games but must wear a mask.
The Review Journal reported that Raiders owner Mark Davis said fans who do not wish to be vaccinated can exchange their tickets for the next season or get a refund for the rest of that season’s games. One against the Seattle Seahawks has already been played, even though it was a drama.
In May, the raiders began vaccinating all full-time employees in business and football staff, KLAS said. Stadium management company ASM and stadium concessionaire Levy have also introduced mandatory vaccinations for all full-time employees at Allegiant Stadium.
New Nevada Rules
Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak said large indoor venues in cities like Las Vegas and Reno are allowed to opt out of the state’s mask requirement when verifying their guests are vaccinated.
“This is up to date. There are no other venues in the country that do this,” Sisolak said. “I think it will make more people go to an event because they know everyone is vaccinated when they go to this arena or stadium.”
Davis said the guideline was the result of discussions with Sisolak and community leaders. Sisolak said the plan was not designed for an operator or venue.
Venues with a capacity greater than 4,000 are affected by the exemption. Partially vaccinated people and children who cannot be vaccinated can attend venues that register but must remain masked. Sisolak made it clear that the policy is not a mandate and is voluntary for venues.
He said he saw pictures of fans exposed at recent soccer and football matches and formulated his instruction as an option for event organizers who do not want to enforce a mask requirement.
“This gives the organizers the option to choose between compulsory masking for all participants indoors – regardless of vaccination status – or the choice of only allowing vaccinated people to attend their events, and having fully vaccinated people remove their masks,” he said.
Other companies on board
The move to expand vaccination evidence in one of the country’s entertainment capitals comes days after officials in new York, San Francisco and New Orleans have introduced proof of vaccination for public indoor spaces, conventions, or concert halls.
Some major venues in Las Vegas have been requiring conference and concert-goers to provide proof of vaccination status for weeks.
The Vegas Golden Knights began using the CLEAR mobile app in May when the T-Mobile Arena was at full capacity with 18,000 seats for the NHL playoffs. The app also screened attendees with a health questionnaire before entering a venue.
MGM Resorts International, owner of nine major Las Vegas Strip resorts and conference centers, and the owner of the Sands Expo Convention Center, Las Vegas Sands, passed the same protocol a few months ago.
In addition to making events feel safer, Sisolak said the incentive to attend events unmasked would encourage more people to get vaccinated.
MGM Resorts, the state’s largest employer, separately announced Monday that new hires and employees who work away from home must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 15.
President Biden has urged cities to introduce vaccination certificates for restaurants and other businesses. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell called proof of vaccination the best way to protect businesses rather than shutdowns.
Unlike cities that have introduced vaccination measures for restaurants, the new measures in Nevada are tailored to tourism and the big events that drive the state’s economy.
Sisolak said he has no plans to require proof of vaccination measures for restaurants or small venues, but any private company could take action if they so choose.
Elsewhere, in Republican-led states such as Florida and Texas, governors and lawmakers prohibit “vaccine passports” and prohibit companies from denying service to unvaccinated guests.
Nevada has gradually taken tougher measures during the variant-driven rise of summer. Sisolak has ordered regular weekly tests for those among the state’s more than 27,000 public employees who do not get vaccinated. His proposal to require vaccines at public colleges and universities is due to be presented to the state health department on Friday.
State health officials reported that just under 60% of people 12 years and older have received at least one dose of vaccine and 49.4% are fully vaccinated. In Las Vegas it is 60.6% and 48.5%.
A surge in coronavirus cases across the state has slowed somewhat, health officials said Friday when they referred to the governor’s order to obtain a mask mandate for indoor use on July 30, under the directions of the U.S. Centers for Control and Prevention Reintroduce diseases quickly.
