Gov. Sisolak Eases Las Vegas Casino Occupancy Limits to 35%

Nevada governor, Steve Sisolak announced that he will gradually be easing the 25% casino occupancy limit that he introduced late in November after a spike in Covid-19 infections. In his Thursday briefing, Gov. Sisolak said that the state will be bombing up the casino occupancy limit to 35% from Monday, 15th February. The new occupancy rule will also apply to indoor dining pool halls, bowling alleys, racetracks, arcades, gyms, places of worship, martial arts studios, and yoga and fitness studios.

Public gatherings will as well be capped at 35% of the fire code capacity or 100 people whereas venues that are capable of holding larger gatherings will be limited to a 20% sitting capacity with strict social distancing rules in play. For other social and entertainment venues such as zoos, aquariums, art galleries, museums, and libraries, the occupancy limit will be increased to 50% on the 15th.

Outdoor dining will no longer have any capacity limit and the reservation rule for hospitality venues has also been rolled back, whereas the maximum number of patrons per table has also been increased from four to six. It will be a much welcome change because Monday incidentally happens to be a federal holiday – President’s day, a time when workers often get the day off.

Casino Occupancy Limit to Move to 50% on 15th March

The governor’s briefing on Thursday also served as a glimmer of hope for the gaming industry as Sisolak added that after one more month i.e., on 15th March, the occupancy limit for gaming venues would be increased to 50% capacity. This will be excellent timing as it is when Sin City’s activity-packed season will start, with the likes of March Madness, big convention event bookings, and the pool season being just around the corner.

Of course, the rollback to 50% occupancy that was first imposed last May will as well apply to non-essential businesses that are moving to 35% on Monday. Come 15th, the cap on public gatherings will similarly be moving to 50% or 250 individuals. Other business and activities marked as ‘high-risk’ such as night and day clubs, brothels, and adult entertainment venues will stay shut for at least two and a half more months, with a possible reopening date of 1st May.

Meanwhile, visitation is still the lowest ever in about three decades with the closure of venues and cancellation of events. The entire 2020 calendar year was a nightmare for the state after the gaming industry haul dipped by a whopping 34.6% to $7.8 billion, the lowest since 1997. It will take time to get back to figures as impressive as those of 2019 when the state’s gambling sector racked up $12 billion in revenue. Until the Coronavirus is handled with finality, which will likely happen sometime in 2022, it will be hard for people to regain the confidence they once had for traveling.

Slow but Sure Reopening of Nevada

Since the first wave of the pandemic early last year, the governor has been a hardliner on science-informed decisions when it comes to dealing with the pandemic. He has been taking decisive precautions and he continues to remain cautious on how the Silver State’s reopening will proceed.

For instance, with vaccination roll out in the state, he ensured that staffers in the hospitality industry came first before anyone else in Nevada. Moreover, given the slump in business, some local properties such as Encore Las Vegas have been repurposed to serve as vaccination centers in a bid to speed up the overall inoculation process. On Thursday during his briefing, he reiterated his safety-first approach as follows;

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"As we ease restrictions, we must follow the science and studies, which states clearly and repeatedly that closures to certain settings are more impactful in reducing disease transmission. While we are hopeful that trends will continue to decrease if all mitigation measures are followed, we must remain flexible – as we have done all along."

After Gov. Sisolak’s Thursday briefing, casino executives in the state chimed in to express their support and optimism for a future when things will go back to normalcy. A spokesperson from Caesars Entertainment Inc for instance said;

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“Our focus remains on the well-being of our team members, guests, and the communities we serve, and we are steadfast in our commitment to the best-in-class, enhanced health and safety protocols developed for all of our resorts nationwide. We are optimistic for the future and fully committed to assisting the COVID-19 vaccination rollout in Nevada and every community in which we operate.”