For the first time in a long time, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak gave business some good news. The state’s beleaguered casino industry may be allowed to expand current venue capacity as Gov. Sisolak spoke on Wednesday and suggested that the current 50-person capacity limits on gatherings may be loosened up.
At the time of his conference, Gov. Sisolak assured that he was in touch with the coronavirus taskforce and had asked experts to review current restrictions. According to the governor, the task force is now reassessing whether some restrictions may be lifted up.
With stringent restrictions on gatherings, Las Vegas has kept most venues hosting industry meetings shuttered to reduce losses. Entertainment venues have also been in the dark for months with only casinos allowed, hotels and some dining options allowed to reopen in limited capacity.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority confirmed that July was Las Vegas’ forth back-to-back month without any convention visitors. The pandemic has forced a number of prominent conventions hosts to postpone their events until 2021.
Among the organizations that have chosen to put a pin in their upcoming expos were the Consumer Electronics Shows, the Global Gaming Expo, and other professional gatherings which brought thousands of visitors.
Gov. Sisolak Signals Reassurances for Business in Clark County
Gov. Sisolak is keen on reviewing the maximum capacity restrictions in light of the upcoming NASCAR race in Las Vegas. Clark County, which has been one of the most heavily affected counties, may soon see its bars and bar tops opened, the governor suggested, although giving no exact time window when this may happen.
Bars have been reopening in fits and starts since earlier this year. Presently, they are all shut in Clark County. Clark County is also experiencing drop in gaming revenue, as out of all 2,451 restricted gaming venues in Nevada, 1,600 are within Clark County, amount to some 13,000 slot machines, the Nevada Gaming Control Board has reported.
Gov. Sisolak was mostly emboldened by the downward trend in daily tests turning up positive with the seven-day average being 9.24% which is still not an ideal percentage. He allowed himself to be optimistic:
“The COVID numbers are moving in the right direction. This did not happen by chance. It’s because of the sacrifice Nevadans have made. By wearing face coverings and social distancing we have made progress. We have learned in the past six months we can’t let our guard down.”
Gov. Sisolak, though, reprimanded President Donald Trump for holding two large public gatherings, which effectively violated the state’s emergency directives. “Nevadans deserve much better from the Trump administration, and with the President’s blatant disregard and lack of accountability for his own administration’s professional medical advice,” said in a written statement following the President’s rallies.
He reminded that handling the pandemic means dealing with both the economic as well as health fallout and striking a balance was important.