What to know as Las Vegas casinos flip to 100% capacity

Ed Komenda, Reno Gazette Journal
·3 min read

LAS VEGAS — This tourism and entertainment capital reached a new milestone this week, as major casinos along The Strip flipped to full capacity without social distancing.

Based on workforce vaccination rates at Las Vegas' biggest properties, the Nevada Gaming Control Board granted waivers to flip casino floors to full capacity.

Clark County lawmakers with jurisdiction over Las Vegas-area businesses approved plans to allow 100% occupancy at non-casino places once 60% of eligible county residents get a vaccine shot. As of Wednesday, the figure was 47%.

But what does that mean for tourists planning trips here soon? Here's what to know.

What Las Vegas casinos are full capacity?

MGM Resorts

  • Bellagio Resort & Casino

  • ARIA Resort & Casino

  • MGM Grand Hotel & Casino

  • Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino

  • Park MGM

  • The Mirage Hotel & Casino

  • New York-New York Hotel & Casino

  • Luxor Hotel and Casino

  • Excalibur Hotel & Casino

Wynn Resorts

  • Wynn

  • Encore

Caesars Entertainment

  • Bally's Las Vegas

  • Caesars Palace Las Vegas

  • The Cromwell

  • Flamingo Las Vegas

  • Harrah's Las Vegas

  • The LINQ Hotel + Experience

  • Paris Las Vegas

  • Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino

  • Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino

Station Casinos

  • Palace Station

  • Boulder Station

  • Sunset Station

  • Santa Fe Station

  • Green Valley Ranch

  • Red Rock Resort

The Strat, Cosmopolitan and Silverton have also opened gaming floors 100%.

Is social distancing still enforced?

Depends where you are.

Social distancing is no longer required on the gaming floor, but those restrictions are still active at restaurants, pools and other non-gaming areas and activities.

Are masks still required?

Yes.

In April, Gov. Steve Sisolak said he expects Nevada’s pandemic-battered economy to be fully reopened by June 1, but he made clear the Silver State’s longstanding mask-wearing mandate will remain in place at least through the end of May.

There were very fews masks on the Las Vegas Strip on Friday, March 13, 2020.
There were very fews masks on the Las Vegas Strip on Friday, March 13, 2020.

Masks would not simply disappear in counties that don’t like it, he said.

“This measure will remain in place to protect the health and safety of Nevadans and help get the state to a full reopening," Sisolak said.

Are restaurants fully open, too?

No.

While gaming floors may return to 100% capacity, current 80% occupancy restrictions and 3-feet social distancing policies remain in effect at restaurants, pools and other non-gaming areas and activities.

Are new cases still surging in Nevada?

Yes.

State health officials on Wednesday reported 464 new cases of COVID-19 and six more deaths since Tuesday. The Department of Health and Human Services has reported almost 320,000 cases and 5,515 deaths since the pandemic began.

The 14-day test positivity rate – a measure of the number of people tested for coronavirus and found positive – was 5.4% in Nevada and 5.5% in the Las Vegas area.

The World Health Organization goal is 5% or below to relax restrictions.

The Southern Nevada Health District administers Clark County, home to 2.3 million people including Las Vegas. The tourism destination has been added to places in Nevada where authorities have detected cases of a potentially worrisome strain of the coronavirus found in India.

A woman in her 20s who had not traveled recently and was not vaccinated against COVID-19 tested positive for a variant subtype officially known as B.1.617.2, the Southern Nevada Health District reported Tuesday.

The woman did not require hospital treatment, and an investigation aimed to identify people she came in contact with, the district said.

It reported other variants of COVID-19, too, including 242 cases of the B.1.1.7 strain identified in the United Kingdom, five cases of the B.1.351 South African strain, five cases of the California strain B.1.429 and 28 cases of the Brazilian strain, P.1.

COVID-19 vaccines currently used in the U.S. offer protection against most variants, officials say.

Contributing: Associated Press.

Ed Komenda writes about Las Vegas for the Reno Gazette Journal and USA Today Network.

This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Las Vegas casino rules: What to know as they go to 100% capacity

Recommended Stories

  • Many Las Vegas casinos now at 100% capacity

    The Nevada Gaming Control Board has approved at least 18 properties on the Las Vegas strip to operate at full capacity.

  • MGM Resorts to Return to 100% Occupancy on Las Vegas Casino Floors

    MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is the latest Las Vegas casino operator to be allowed by regulators to return to 100% occupancy ahead of the July 1 target date for all of the industry to operate at full capacity. Earlier this month, Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN) became the first casino to return to 100% capacity on its gaming floors after 88% of its employees received COVID-19 vaccinations. Nevada had previously raised the capacity limits from 50% to 80%, and is planning to let all casinos go to full capacity by the summer.

  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar discusses NBA's relationship with social justice

    USA TODAY Sports' Mark Medina talks to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar about the NBA's obligation to participate in social justice.

  • Zenith Now Offers Its Hardworking Chronomaster Sport Watch in Luxe 18K Rose Gold

    The new model is equipped with the latest version of Zenith’s iconic El Primero 3600 calibre.

  • Adventurous man turned a nearby volcano into a pizza oven

    There's a certain technique to cooking pizza with a volcano -- one that David Garcia has had to master in order to not burn the food or himself. The first steps are simple -- shape the dough, place it on a pan and dress it up with sauce, mozzarella cheese and toppings. Then, donning thick, protective gloves, Garcia places it on the bank of a river of lava that snakes under jagged volcanic rocks of Guatemala's Pacaya volcano. David Garcia cooks pizzas using the fiery temperatures of Guatemala's Pacaya volcano. (AFP) Over a river of lava, Garcia has to gauge a few things, one of which is making sure the pizza doesn't drift away. The second is making sure the lava isn't too hot. "It was difficult for me to learn the technique here so the pizza doesn't [get] burnt. And it is also a risk to be on the shore because it is at a high temperature of 1,500 to 2,000 degrees, so I have to watch the wind direction so it doesn't affect me," Garcia told AFP. CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP But after his first time biting into a magma-made pizza, he found the risk was worth the taste and perhaps an attraction for tourists. David Garcia stands in front of a lava flow at the Pacaya volcano. (Instagram/pizzapacayadedavid) This method of cooking has also been used earlier this year by scientists studying the Geldingadalsgos volcano in Fagradalsfjall, Iceland, who used the heat to cook some hot dogs for lunch. Garcia's own inspiration for using the volcano as an oven came from tour guides in the area who would bring groups to the volcano and roast marshmallows. "I took the idea and I wondered what else could be cooked with the lava," Garcia told AccuWeather's National Weather Broadcaster Marvin Gómez. "So one day I prepared a pizza, took it to the volcanic rocks and in 14 minutes it was ready. The high temps from the nearby lava gave it an exclusive taste and an amazing crunch. I told myself, 'This needs to continue.'" A pan of David Garcia's pizza cooked over volcanic rocks from Guatemala's Pacaya volcano. (Instagram/pizzapacayadedavid) This was back in 2013, and by 2019 he had started Pizza Pacaya, a gig that involved cooking pizza over volcanic rocks and nearby lava for tourists. "You don't see this anywhere else, and the fact that there's a pizza chef in the heart of the volcano is impressive and unique in the world," Felipe Aldana, a tourist in the area, told AFP. Tourist Kelt Van Meurs told AFP that not only was the pizza tasty, but it had a "magmatic crunch." To cook the pizza, David Garcia places the pan over the hot volcanic rocks. (AFP) With high temperatures, the pizza bakes relatively quickly -- Garcia's record time for cooking a pizza stands at 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Pacaya volcano serves as both Garcia's oven and a tourist attraction despite its near continuous activity. As recently as March, the volcano had been spewing ash up to 1,640 feet from its crater. The ash had been reported falling over El Rodeo and El Patrocinio communities, and a lava flow had even cracked the west flank of the volcano, the National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology reported. Garcia works in the areas he said are safer and away from the toxic gasses that the volcano produces. Garcia added that every day he comes to the volcano, he has to determine the best way to cook with the volcanic rocks for the day as sometimes the flow of rocks is passing by quickly, and very hot. David Garcia and customers sit at Pacaya volcano. (Instagram/pizzapacayadedavid) "Some call me crazy, but the passion for cooking is sometimes crazy," Garcia said. "But it's a feeling that is fulfilling, it satisfies, and I like to see tourists getting a new life experience." By late April, the Pacaya National Park reopened to tourists, and Garcia got back to cooking. For those not as adventurous as Garcia but want to make homemade pizza this summer, check out these more traditional pizza ovens. Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier, Spectrum, FuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. Reporting by Marvin Gómez.

  • Jeff Bezos and the secretive world of superyachts

    The world's richest man will reportedly set sail next month on one of the largest superyachts ever built.

  • Israel looks to back-up airport as flight cancellations mount

    LONDON/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa and Iberia all cancelled flights to Tel Aviv as European carriers joined U.S. airlines in avoiding flying to Israel, which has activated a back-up airport in the far south as a precaution against rockets from Gaza. Palestinian militants have repeatedly shelled the Tel Aviv area during hostilities that erupted on Monday, raising safety concerns over Ben Gurion Airport, Israel's main airport, and prompting it to reroute some flights to Ramon Airport, some 200 km (125 miles) to the south, which serves Eilat.

  • CDC panel OKs Pfizer vaccine for 12-15 age group; Johnson & Johnson doses delayed; US deaths lowest in 14 months: Latest COVID-19 updates

    After weeks of the U.S. reporting around 700 deaths per day, the country is now averaging about 600 deaths a day. Latest COVID-19 news.

  • You've Been Vaccinated—Now, Follow This Expert Advice on Your Next Flight

    We're sharing five recommendations to help ensure your safety ahead of your next trip.

  • Disney takes ‘woke’ steps toward inclusivity, but sparks a conservative backlash

    Anti-racism, tattoos and no more “wench auctions”: Not everyone is a fan.

  • News Crew Ends Up Rescuing Kidnapped Dog While Reporting On The Case

    A Boston news crew covering a stolen dog case ended up becoming part of the story after rescuing him from the grasp of the alleged dognapper. A suspect broke into a vehicle Friday to steal a 13-month old white German Shorthaired Pointer named Titus, police in Cambridge stated in a tweet that included images of the suspect walking with the dog. A news team from WHDH was reporting on the story Saturday near where the dognapping took place on when they spotted the dog being walked by a man who resembled the suspect. Photojournalist John Guice approached the man to compliment the dog’s beauty, journalist Juliana Mazza explained on Twitter on Monday. “As I walked over I quickly realized we found the dog and had the suspect,” she tweeted. Mazza then approached the man and asked him if she could pet his dog so she could get close enough to read the dog's tag, she told Inside Edition. As he complied, she motioned for Guice to begin recording. Together, the news team questioned the suspect about the dog. The suspect, later identified as Kyle Gariepy, categorized the situation as a “misunderstanding.” "He was just barking in the car, and I walked past the car, and I thought it was supposed to be a dog I was dog walking," Gariepy said. "It wasn't a kidnapping. It was just a simple mistake." Mazza called 911 to report that she had both the dog and the suspect in arm’s reach, a moment caught on camera, and soon enough the police were at the scene arresting Gariepy. Police charged him with larceny of more than $1,200 and breaking and entering into a vehicle to commit a felony. It’s not clear if he has a lawyer. Titus has been returned to his owner, Greg Siesczkiewicz, who told WHDH, “If anyone ever sees this who questions the value of media, social media, broadcast media, this proves it.”

  • US safety team to investigate Colo. midair collision

    Two small airplanes collided in midair Wednesday near Denver, leaving one aircraft badly damaged and forcing the pilot of the other to deploy a parachute attached to the plane to land safely. Remarkably, no one was injured, officials said. (May 12)

  • Injured Halep could miss French Open

    Former French Open champion Simona Halep, one of Ash Barty's big rivals for the Roland Garros title, has suffered a tear in her left calf, raising doubts over whether she'll be fit for the Paris grand slam.The Romanian, who won the title in 2018, had to retire from her Italian Open second-round match against Angelique Kerber on Wednesday with the problem.

  • 7 morning habits that could contribute to stress, according to experts

    When you use social media as soon as you wake up, you could be setting yourself up to feel stressed throughout the day.

  • Fredrik Eklund has never watched an episode of 'Selling Sunset' but just closed a 'big, big deal' with Brett and Jason Oppenheim

    "Million Dollar Listing New York" star Fredrik Eklund said Brett and Jason Oppenheim from Netflix's "Selling Sunset" "are really awesome."

  • Timeline: Liz Cheney's falling out with House Republicans

    Once a favorite within the GOP, Cheney lost a vote Wednesday to remove her from her House GOP leadership position. How did she get here?

  • The Best Maternity Swimsuits to Get You Comfortably Through the Long Hot Summer

    A mid-summer dip in the pool is wonderfully refreshing for pretty much anybody, but for expecting moms it can feel even more glorious. Raging hormones mean...

  • Popeyes Is Giving Away Free Biscuits for National Biscuit Day — Here's How to Get Them

    The fast food chain is celebrating National Biscuit Day by giving out free biscuits and a small drink with the hashtag "#SoDry."

  • Bernie Sanders Played an Integral Role in Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly’s Relationship

    "Not Me. Us" hits different now.

  • History Calls Juan Pablo Montoya Back for Another Shot at Indianapolis 500

    Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner has not been in an IndyCar race since 2017 Indy 500.