Las Vegas Mayor Slates Sisolak’s New Casino COVID-19 Restrictions

By Jerry Smith Staff Writer Updated: 12/14/2020

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Las Vegas Mayor Slates Sisolak’s New Casino COVID-19 Restrictions

Following a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases across the United States, a number of state governors have put new measures into place with regard to restrictions. Many businesses, including casinos, are set to be hit hard once again by these restrictions, and these include casinos in Las Vegas and other parts of Nevada.

Recently, the state governor, Steve Sisolak, announced that there would be further restrictions for casinos and other hospitality venues.

This comes after these businesses have been trying to cope with restrictions since being allowed to reopen in early June. They have now been told they must reduce capacity for a second time, and they must now operate at no more than 25 percent capacity.

This latest decision with regard to restrictions has led to outrage from the mayor of Las Vegas, Carolyn Goodman.

Branding Sisolak a Dictator

After the new restrictions were announced by the governor, they were criticized by Goodman. In fact, the Mayor went as far as to brand Sisolak a ‘dictator’. She slated the Governor for failing to control the virus more effectively and for the measures that would cripple many businesses.

After hearing the news about the latest measures, Goodman stated:

Obviously, this was crushing to the city. He’s been a dictator with whom we have complied every step of the way. We’ve had no choice.

A response from the governor in a recent press report read, “When Nevada’s elected leaders speak, their words carry weight — and these difficult times call for our leaders to be unified in protecting the public.”

The new move to tighten restrictions once again will have a devastating impact on the famous casino resorts that Las Vegas is so well known for. There are fears that some will take years to recover, and some may never recover from the impact of 2020.

Already, many resorts are slashing room rates by over 50 percent in some cases in a bid to try and claw back some of the lost revenue from this year. However, this is becoming increasingly challenging because of the continued restrictions.

Capacity Halved and Halved Again

When casinos first opened up following the first COVID-19 closures in the spring, they were told they must operate at a maximum 50 percent capacity. This was in addition to the many new measures that had to be brought in for protection and to control the spread of the virus. Many casinos spent a fortune on putting these measures into place.

However, despite this, the capacity has been reduced again, with the maximum now allowed dropping to 25 percent. This means that casinos will be operating at a capacity that is just one-quarter of what it was prior to the onset of the pandemic.

This has sparked further concerns over more job losses across the industry in Las Vegas. Huge numbers of casino workers in the area have lost their jobs since the first lockdown, and this latest measure could mean that many others will find themselves out of work.