Yea, you read that headline correctly! There is no longer a Las Vegas face mask requirement for guests at casinos! But before you get too excited and starting booking your next trip, there are a few caveats which everyone should keep in mind.
First, Nevada’s announcement of dropping the face mask requirement stated that “Effective immediately, individuals are no longer required to wear a mask in public indoor settings in licensed gaming establishments, unless a local jurisdiction still imposes such a requirement”. This means, of course, that different casinos around the state could still require a mask on their property, depending on the county or city they’re based in.
Also, don’t forget that casinos are private property. As such, they can require guests to mask up, even if there is no Las Vegas face mask requirement. That being said, it doesn’t look like that will be the case… at least in Sin City. A few of them have already chimed in on the issue, including MGM, Circa Las Vegas, The D, and The Strat.
The CEO of MGM Resorts, Bill Hornbuckle, confirmed that masks would not be required for guests or employees on their properties. He stated that, “Like you, I’m excited to see things beginning to return to normal after more than two long years.”
Derek Stevens, owner and CEO of both The D Las Vegas and Circa Las Vegas, added “We’ve done vaccinations events at Circa for the past four months. For people who want to take the masks off, we are going to let them. For people that want to keep them on, that’s their prerogative.”
Stephen Thayer, Vice President of The Strat, sees this as another step on the road to full recovery. “It sends a big message that we are ready to get back to group business and normalcy,” he said. But in the middle of all this positive news, there still looms the fact that the pandemic is not over.
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak added “I want to be clear, the emergency is not over. The pandemic is not over. We’re still getting far too many cases, far too many hospitalizations and far too many deaths.” Still, for now the Las Vegas face mask mandate has been lifted.