Updated: The Venetian has denied rumors of the imminent temporary closure. The company had this to say in an official tweet:
“This social media rumor concerning a planned closure of the resort is false. For the latest information, including a list of venues that are currently operating, please visit venetian.com/open. We look forward to welcoming you to The Venetian Resort.”
Old Story Begins: The Venetian reportedly to close down after this weekend for up to 10 days, Vital Vegas, a Las Vegas media outlet has reported.
Some Casinos Reportedly Plan to Shutdown
Following a much-ballyhooed restart of operations, Las Vegas properties may once again be looking to shutter operations as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. One suspected property to do so is The Venetian, which would reportedly close after the July 4 weekend. Nevada’s Avi Resort has already had to shut down due to COVID-19 cases reported on-site.
Yet, the shut-down wouldn’t continue too long according to Vital Vegas, the outlet to first report the closure. “These rumors are unconfirmed,” Vital Vegas said and July 4 is expected to be busy. With this said, the shut down would only last up to 10 days.
While some properties may be considering a temporary shutdown indeed, many others have restarted operations, including the Mandalay Bay, Aria, the Waldorf Astoria, the Four Seasons and the Delano. Besides these properties, operations have been resumed at limited capacity elsewhere as well.
Turn up at the Las Vegas Strip hasn’t been strong with many of the pedestrians driving in from neighboring states. There have already been reports of health and safety measures violations, such as pedestrians refusing to wear masks in high-traffic areas.
Some visitors have added that Las Vegas wasn’t as fun during the pandemic as it used to be before that. That is not surprising, given Gov. Steve Sisolak’s concern about public safety. The governor has banned indoor dining, imposed mandatory mask wearing and prohibited other activities such as smoking and eating at casinos.
Masks Seem an Optional Extra
Meanwhile, business at the Flamingo and the Bellagio has been slow but steady, the Review-Journal, another Nevada outlet reported, but there were various breaches of safety protocols. The most common were the instances of people not wearing face coverings on their nose, thus exposing themselves and others to potential infection.
Estimated 49% of businesses such as restaurants and bars have been complying with the governor’s mandated safety measures, a survey established. The checks were carried out by the Nevada Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) which carried out 200 inspections on Thursday, complementing the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s own efforts in vetting establishments.
The NGCB discovered 111 irregularities at gaming venues, but didn’t specifically report on the severity of those issues. However, both patrons and businesses should be aware of the consequences of non-compliance. Gov. Sisolak had this to say receiving reports of breaking safety measures:
“If these concerning reports on noncompliance continue, I will not hesitate to take swift and decisive actions next week directed at targeted industries or areas that are experiencing concerning COVID-19 trends and non-compliance.”
This is not the first time Governor Sisolak has cautioned businesses and casinos to comply with healthy measures or bear the economic consequences, as the governor wouldn’t hesitate to shut down businesses.
Nevada currently has the highest COVID-19 transition rate in the United State, making it a perfect candidate for a forceful shutdown.