Las Vegas casino employees have begun testing for COVID-19. More than 60,000 Las Vegas casino workers ready and waiting for job callbacks are lining up to be tested before the resorts reopen. State officials said testing will begin with appointments scheduled for employees on callback at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Finally, there will be no charge for the testing.
State officials said the testing goal is to collect 4,000 test samples for the coronavirus per day. Test results are expected within 48 hours, and anyone who tests positive will be referred to the Southern Nevada Health District for contact tracing.
The costs for the mass testing were not disclosed in a joint press release by Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, Boyd Gaming, the Culinary Union Health Fund, University Medical Center, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. To begin the process, casino employees will fill out a pre-screening questionnaire to decide if they need to be tested before coming back to work.
Casinos Eager for the COVID-19 Shutdown to be Lifted
“Our singular focus over the past several weeks has been to safely reopen our properties,” commented Bill Hornbuckle, acting president and CEO of MGM Resorts International. “The testing partnership allows us to give our workers and guests peace of mind. We are taking the best possible precautions to keep everyone safe.”
Nevada state gambling regulators have not yet given the OK or set a date for when Governor Steve Sisolak will lift his mid-March order to close all gambling establishments in the state, as well as other orders preventing groups of people from gathering. However, a few casinos are hoping for June 1 reopening.
Caesars and MGM Resorts own most of the resorts on the Las Vegas Strip; all totaled, there are more than 150,000 hotel rooms On the strip. Unfortunately, each company furloughed most of its employees in March. Furthermore, the companies recently notified furloughed employees that the furloughs could “last longer than six months or become permanent.”
The extended furlough notifications are in response to the tourism industry facing an uphill battle once Governor Sisolak and the Nevada Gaming Control Board allow the casinos to reopen. Nevada is still in phase one, and the governor has indicated that the casinos won’t reopen until phase three or four.
When the state finally does allow casinos to reopen, the Nevada Gaming Control Board will require them to only operate at 50% capacity, strictly limiting the number of people allowed inside. Despite the casinos making plans to reopen, Governor Sisolak has left the possibility open of reinstating the shutdown if he thinks there is a resurgence of the virus.
The Industry and Unions Support Novel Coronavirus Testing
“COVID-19 testing makes sure that Culinary Union members will be safe when they return to work,” commented Geoconda Argüello-Kline, union secretary-treasurer. The Culinary Union puts the health and safety of every employee and Las Vegas guest as the number one priority.
Mason VanHouweling, CEO of the University Medical Center, pointed to the efforts of the task force headed by Jim Murren, former MGM Resorts CEO, with pulling together the resources to achieve this high level of testing.
Overall, Nevada state health officials reported over 7,000 positive tests, and 365 deaths statewide. Nevada has a total population of 3,080,156 people, setting the state’s death rate at around 0.01%
For most people, the novel coronavirus only causes mild to moderate flu-like symptoms that generally last two to three weeks. However, for some elderly people and those with pre-existing health conditions, the virus can cause more severe symptoms such as pneumonia resulting in death. Fortunately, the vast majority of people who contract the virus fully recover in just a few weeks.
