People go on vacation, at least in part, to escape reality. Las Vegas has built its entire business model around not only leaving your cares behind but, perhaps, doing things you may not otherwise do.
"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" may not be an official casino industry or Las Vegas tourism slogan anymore, but it's built into the promise of what a Vegas vacation means.
Visit the famous Las Vegas Strip and you will not only experience world-class casinos operated by Caesars Entertainment (CZR), MGM Resorts International (MGM), and Wynn Resorts (WYNN), you may also do something that represents your version of letting loose.
For some people, that's a decadent meal at Nobu or another top-tier restaurant. In other cases, it's gambling, indulging in various excesses, or who knows what else. Vegas has always been about escaping reality and the pandemic has intruded on that.
You might have a drink in your hand and a world of indulgence surrounding you, but in Las Vegas, and the entire state of Nevada, you're partying (at least indoors) with your mask on. That's a painful reminder that reality actually does apply and that what gets transmitted in Vegas won't, in fact, stay in Vegas.
Image source: Daniel Kline/TheStreet.
Is Nevada Holding Down Caesars, MGM and Wynn Stock?
Mask mandates remain a political hot potato, but Nevada has kept some of the strictest rules in the country in place. Only nine states still require that people wear masks while indoors regardless of vaccination status.
"Nevadans over age 9 are required to mask up in indoor public places, regardless of their vaccination status, in counties that meet the CDC criteria for high or substantial rates of Covid-19 transmission," AARP reports.
"In counties that have maintained moderate or low transmission for at least two weeks, face-covering is required only for unvaccinated people. The more stringent mandate covers the entire state through at least Feb. 10."
Under those rules, Clark County, home to Las Vegas, will likely have mask requirements in place for longer than the statewide date. That's bad news for Caesars, MGM and Wynn because as cruise-line customers have demonstrated, a significant percentage of Americans have put off pleasure travel until pandemic-related restrictions are removed.
The strict rules also make it harder for conventions -- a major driver of Las Vegas visits -- to operate. That made this year's Consumer Electronics Show, which usually brings more than 200,000 visitors to fill up every Las Vegas Strip property, a fraction of its usual glory with maybe 40,000 total attendees.
Will Las Vegas See Mask Rules Removed?
While Nevada -- and Las Vegas specifically -- needs tourists to thrive, the state's governor has been especially cautious compared with his counterparts in some other tourism-dependent states, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
"With disease transmission still rampant in the state, Gov. Steve Sisolak’s medical advisory team has not discussed with either the governor’s office or the state health division about possibly ending or easing the mandate, epidemiologist Brian Labus, a member of the team, said Friday," the paper reported.
Labus made clear that no consideration has been given to removing the mask mandate.
“At this point, we haven’t been having those discussions, especially with delta and omicron taking off,” Labus said, referring to coronavirus variants that have led to surges in cases," the paper reported.
"Although case numbers have “stopped getting worse,” they remain very high, said Labus, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in UNLV’s School of Public Health."
