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Nevada Governor Cuts All Losses by Shutting Down Everything as Coronavirus Cases Surge
By Jeff Osienya Mar 19, 2020 IndustryAll gambling activity in Vegas shuttered after Gov Steve Sisolak issued a sweeping statewide directive intended to halt the spread of the Coronavirus. A billion-dollar industry is now on its knees.In an emergency press conference on Tuesday night, Nevada’s governor Steve Sisolak, ordered a month-long shutdown of all non-essential businesses across the Silver State for the next 30 days. This means that all the starlit casino resorts in Sin City will have to close their doors for the next month. As drastic as it is, the move is aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19.
From Gov. Steve’s address, the only institutions that are allowed to stay in operation are emergency services such as the police, fire departments, first responders and healthcare facilities. Businesses that offer shelter, food or social services to the needy shall also stay open as well as grocery stores, gas stations and hardware stores.
While gambling venues were to be shuttered by midnight, other entertainment zones like bars, restaurants and movie theatres were given up to Wednesday noon to cease operations. Cafeterias and food joints will however be allowed to keep their businesses running only to offer takeout and food delivery services.
The COVID-19 Toll Continues to Strike Fear
So far, Nevada has reported over 50 cases of the virus, and one fatality. During his press briefing on Tuesday night, the governor’s face could be seen in contortions of anger, giving a stern warning to anyone looking for loopholes to circumnavigate his directive. He expressly reiterated that all casino and gambling machines had to be switched of by the time the clock strikes midnight.
In his address, Sisolak kept on insisting how serious the pandemic is, and that the state had no choice but to cut their losses and close down all non-essential business. Nevada has therefore joined the handful of states that already ordered partial or full shutdown of businesses that are deemed to offer non-essential services. Washington, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and California took the lead with the said closures and it appears that other states will follow suit.
Worries of Statewide Economic Meltdown Increase
The governor’s move has effectively cut off a $6.6 billion industry that bankrolls the hospitality-energized Nevada economy. Furthermore, with the shutdown of 440 licensed casinos in Sin City and the Silver State at large, tens of thousands of employees are now in varying levels of economic turmoil.
When casino giants MGM Resorts and Wynn Resorts announced earlier this week that they would be suspending their daily operations for at least a month, a lot of businesses in Las Vegas suspected that a state-wide shutdown was inevitable. It seemed that there wasn’t any other way out of it now that cases of COVID-19 were swelling across the state.
Even though some casinos had already started to close down their doors this week, Sisolak’s declaration to shutter Nevada’s booming casino industry, has still caught several operators by surprise. The likes of Boyd Gaming which were still operating had to comply with the governor’s mandate.
With businesses shut down and tourism expected to take a deep dive, Nevada’s economy will likely take a huge blow but the magnitude of the financial backlash is still unknown.
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