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Wynn Resorts: 550 Employees Contract COVID-19, Company Announces

Article by : Helen Sep 30, 2020

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As the world grapples with COVID-19, many states, including Las Vegas, have implemented mandatory guidelines to ensure that businesses open safely to help control the virus’s spread. This comes at a time when health officials have expressed major concerns about the nature of the gambling business and how its operations and patronage may make it difficult to control the spread of the coronavirus and even track infected individuals.

In continuing its commitment to public transparency, Wynn Resorts announced in a press release that of the 15,051 tests conducted, there had been 548 positive cases among employees. Per the breakdown, 51 positive cases were pre-opening while the other 497 were post-opening. Matt Maddox, the CEO of the award-winning luxury hotel said, “Our goal, by implementing our Surveillance Testing Program and establishing a robust in-house contact tracing effort, is to make Wynn Las Vegas the safest place our guests and employees can go outside of their home.”

Wynn Las Vegas Surveillance Testing Program

On April 19, Wynn Las Vegas disclosed its efforts of keeping employees and guests safe through its Health and Safety Program, with the general public to receive updates intermittently. To date, the company, in partnership with the University Medical Center (UMC), has conducted 15,051 tests of its employees, which is well over its current employee base.

Per the guidelines of the Surveillance Testing Program, each employee is required to pass a COVID-19 test before returning to work or upon hiring. The company also utilizes a comprehensive algorithmic system to test random groups of up to 700 employees bi-weekly.

Due to its efficiency, the program can even detect employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 but are asymptomatic, which can result in early medical intervention. Since its inception, the Wynn Resort Pre-employment and Post-opening Surveillance Testing program have seen a significant decrease in positive COVID-19 cases.

Contact Tracing for Infected Employees

Currently, Wynn Las Vegas has a team of 10 full-time employees assigned to performing contact tracing duties for employees testing positive for COVID-19. The team interviews every infected employee and works with the security team to review surveillance footage in an effort to contain the virus and minimize the risk of exposure. Per a report put forth by Wynn Las Vegas, 98 percent of employees testing positive for COVID-19 contracted the virus outside of work.

This number bears evidence to the company’s efforts in keeping workers and guests safe during a global pandemic. Since reopening in early June, the resort has hosted over 500,000 guests and those who are symptomatic or have been potentially exposed to the virus are offered in-room testing. So far, only six of such guests have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Stay Safe, Stay Open

Per guidelines by the Nevada COVID-19 Mitigation & Management Task Force, social establishments can reopen and operate at 50 percent capacity. However, all forms of live entertainment, including karaoke, concerts, and competitions are still prohibited with a few exceptions. If such performance is essential to how the business operates, the state may allow a small piece of band or a lone singer, guitarist, or pianist to perform in an ambient environment as patrons enjoy their meals or drinks. Patrons can also carry conversations without raising their voices.

The business, however, cannot advertise the ancillary performer nor sell tickets nor require admission fees. Even though these recent advancements in regulations have brought about a sense of normalcy, it is not lost to many that the coronavirus has claimed 1,565 lives in the state of Nevada.