Nevada Extends ‘Statewide Pause’ into January

Article by : Helen Dec 23, 2020

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Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, on Dec. 13, announced extended measures to curtail a resurgent COVID-19 pandemic in Nevada. Dubbed the “statewide pause,” the aim is to curtail rising COVID-19 cases and increase pressure on hospitals and the state’s healthcare system. The extended restrictions are in place until at least Jan. 15.

The so-called statewide pause in reopening efforts amid the global COVID-19 pandemic requires all Nevadans and visitors to wear protective masks while indoors or outdoors and around people who are not part of the immediate household. The home is the only place the mask mandate is not in place, but household gatherings also are restricted to no more than 10 people. Restaurants and bars likewise must limit capacities to 25 percent and only can accept reservations for parties of no more than four per table. The mask mandate applies even while dining, except while drinking or eating. If people cannot do an activity without wearing a mask, Sisolak says they need to consider doing something else and avoid violating the mask mandate.

Sisolak says Thanksgiving visitation caused a spike in local cases, which was predicted by officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The “surge on top of a surge” materialized and only recently became apparent in Nevada, the Governor said while extending the statewide pause for another 30 days. Any events planned prior to the increased restrictions that violate the current restrictions must be postponed or canceled. The measures are a 30-day extension of the same restrictions that Sisolak announced leading up to the traditional Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Those restrictions include a strict 25 percent capacity limit on the number of patrons inside casinos. Casinos must post staff at every entrance and record patrons coming and going to ensure compliance with the 25-percent capacity mandate.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board rigidly will enforce the capacity limits and swiftly punish any violators, Sisolak said in November. He warned that if the pandemic numbers get worse, more rigid lockdowns are likely, such as those in effect in southern California. Los Angeles County alone accounted for about 19 percent of total visitation to Las Vegas in 2018.

The mandatory lockdown and restricted travel in California and other bordering states is hurting Nevada gaming revenues. With airline travel continuing at a relatively minimal pace, Nevada casinos greatly rely on vehicular traffic to deliver casino patrons. But the hard lockdowns in California and other COVID-19 hotbeds near Nevada are severely hurt traditional casino visitation via cars.

Casinos on the Las Vegas Strip reported a 45 percent drop in year-to-year revenues in September. Through September, gaming revenues were $2.72 billion with a three-month closing due to COVID-19 greatly hampering revenues.

Nevada’s Department of Health and Human Services on Dec 14 reported 189,412 cases and 2,548 COVID-19-related deaths since the pandemic appeared in the state in March. A two-week rate of 21.3 percent as of Dec. 14 indicates five straight days of reduced positive test results, state health officials announced. Some 2,579 new COVID-19 cases were reported, along with nine deaths.

In Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, local health officials reported 1,706 new cases for a county-wide total of 142,937 cases since the March onset. County health officials also reported three new deaths related to COVID-19, which brings the county-wide total to 2,002 since March. Until the situation is contained in southern California and other nearby hotspots, Nevada officials say the enhanced restrictions likely will be necessary to prevent a similar spike locally.