Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP
President Donald Trump with Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, right, and other members of the president’s coronavirus task force speaks during a news conference at the Brady press briefing room of the White House, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020, in Washington.
Published Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 | 4:47 p.m.
Updated Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 | 7:55 p.m.
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A major summit of Asian leaders scheduled for Las Vegas in the second week of March has been postponed by the Trump administration over growing fears of the coronavirus further spreading in the United States, several news outlets are reporting.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations event is believed to be the first conference or convention canceled in Las Vegas because of the virus, which originated late last year in China and has killed at least 2,462 people worldwide. There have been 63 confirmed cases of the respiratory virus in the United States, where there is growing panic with residents.
Just two days ago, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said the summit in which President Donald Trump would meet with leaders the 10 ASEAN member nations —Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, Myanmar and Laos — would take place despite coronavirus concerns.
Las Vegas tourism leaders have been closely monitoring the situation, saying earlier this week that it was “business as usual” and that the virus hasn’t disrupted business in the resort corridor. Local officials have stressed they are most concerned with the safety of residents and visitors alike, meaning other events could also be shelved if leaders sense a risk.
“Ensuring a safe and secure experience is our top priority, which is why the resort industry works closely with federal, state and local authorities on wide-ranging preparedness measures to safeguard employees and guests,” the Nevada Resort Association said in a statement.
Becky Harris, an academic fellow at UNLV’s International Center for Gaming Regulation and former chairwoman of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, said it’s a waiting game at this point to see how far and wide the virus spreads and how it might affect Las Vegas, an area that depends on tourism.
“If there were to be a coronavirus outbreak in Southern Nevada, that would potentially have serious consequences for the economy here,” Harris said. “We’re just going to have to wait and see what happens and how this unfolds.”
On the Strip late Friday afternoon, it seemed to be business as usual.
Foot traffic was plentiful, as it usually is to kick off any weekend, and only a few passersby outside the Flamingo were seen wearing face masks.
Kris Goff, who was visiting from Michigan for her daughter’s 21st birthday, said she booked the trip just recently and wasn’t going to change her family’s vacation plans.
“I wasn’t overly worried about the coronavirus talk,” Goff said. “It’s been out there for a while now. I think it’s a lot of overreaction.”
Outside the Cromwell, Neka Barley, visiting from Atlanta, said she’s been washing her hands more, but isn’t about to let virus fears dictate her plans.
“You still have to live your life,” Barley said. “You can’t be always worried about the worst. I’m aware of it, but you can’t live in fear.”
The outbreak is starting to stir a worldwide economic crisis as anxiety about the infection emptied shops and amusement parks, canceled events, cut trade and travel and dragged already slumping financial markets even lower.
More employers told their workers to stay home, and officials locked down neighborhoods and closed schools. The wide-ranging efforts to halt the spread of the illness threatened jobs, paychecks and profits.
Stock markets around the world plunged again Friday. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones index took yet another hit, closing down nearly 360 points. The index has dropped more than 14% from a recent high, making this the market’s worst week since 2008 during the global financial crisis.
Trump indicated Friday that he was considering expanding a travel ban to include countries such as South Korea and Italy with a high number of coronavirus cases. Foreign nationals who have traveled in China in the last two weeks are not allowed to enter the United States.
Gov. Steve Sisolak said the state was monitoring the outbreak and doing its due diligence, stressing that “we’re going to prepare, not panic. We’re going to choose collaboration over chaos.”
Sun reporter Bryan Horwath and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
