Nevada is among the states with the highest infection rates, and state investigators have reported less than 50% of the companies observed on July 2. he complied with the governor’s order requiring facial masks in public.
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak has promised “swift and decisive” action this week against industries that continue to break the rules.
In a statement issued on July 3, he rebuked companies that do not follow social distancing and face coverage guidelines.
“You are not only jeopardizing people’s health, but you are also jeopardizing your business colleagues, your industry and our economy in general,” said Sisolak.
City and county licensing teams across the state were in place during the long holiday weekend. The Nevada Gaming Control Board said it had opened 111 regulatory non-compliance cases since the casinos reopened on June 4.
Concerns and rumors about casino closings have again been posted on local blogs. Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts and Caesars have told CNBC that the rumors are unsubstantiated and that there are no plans to voluntarily shut down again.
Sisolak’s threat to take action is being taken seriously in this state that relies heavily on travel, tourism and gaming, all industries where people congregate in groups.
Casinos are cracking down internally. MGM Resorts emailed employees with a memo, reminding them of social distancing and coverage rules, and asking them to report noncompliance by coworkers. Failure to do so will result in progressive disciplinary action, MGM warned.
Caesars CEO Tony Rodio put it more clearly in his employee memo. “Failure to wear your mask at work will be grounds for termination.”
In a note obtained by CNBC and authenticated by the company, Rodio assured the workers: “You will not be penalized for missing work if you do not feel well … If we discover that you have been at work when you knew you were sick, you can be disciplined for violating company policy. “
Additionally, the memo encourages workers to feel comfortable asking and reporting to their coworkers. “See something, say something,” he said.
On June 24, a doorman who worked at Caesars Palace died of coronavirus. The Reno Gazette-Journal reported that the man told his manager he was not feeling well, and the manager told him to take a sick day, according to the janitor’s family, although the man declined.
Caesars Entertainment has instituted mandatory Covid-19 testing for all Las Vegas employees, regardless of whether they work on-site or from home. The company pays for the tests, but according to the message to employees, “Anyone who does not complete the test by the end of the day on July 10 will be removed from the schedule. [and/or placed on unpaid leave]. Refusal to take the exam can result in termination of employment. “
“It is important to provide a context in which casinos, like many companies, are operating in unfamiliar waters, implementing in the past month or so new health and safety protocols that impact every element of the business,” Richard Broome, executive vice president of communications and government relations at Caesars, he said in an email. “We are adapting as we learn and when we see medical data and new directives that result in new operational requirements.”
Broome insisted that the guests are largely complying with the facial coatings, except when they eat or drink.
Video tweeted by Los Angeles Times sports columnist Arash Markazi shows a completely different scene at the Cosmopolitan on July 4. weekend, after the governor’s public madata went into effect on June 24, compared to the opening weekend of June 4.
The state issued the mask directive after cases in Nevada increased for four weeks.
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