Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Masks fly off Las Vegas casino patrons as governor lifts Nevada’s mandate

Tourists Speak On End of Mask Mandate

Steve Marcus

A couple stops by a mask station for hand sanitizer inside a casino Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. Governor Steve Sisolak announced the end of the indoor mask mandate during a news conference Thursday morning.

Tourists Speak On End of Mask Mandate

Camilla and Bob Grandgeorge of Webster, Iowa, respond to a question on the ending of Nevadas mask mandate Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. Governor Steve Sisolak announced the end of the indoor mask mandate during a news conference Thursday morning. The couple said they were not used to wearing masks as Iowa has no mask mandate. Launch slideshow »

Lori Blain was at Paris Las Vegas on Thursday for a convention when word came down that Nevada had lifted its mask mandate.

Almost immediately, people started to rip off their face coverings, said Blain, who was in town from Portland, Ore., for a gathering of chiropractors.

“It was fascinating, almost like a graduation where they throw their caps up in the air,” she said.

Word spread quickly along the Las Vegas Strip that Gov. Steve Sisolak had declared an immediate end to Nevada’s indoor masking requirement, citing a rapid decline in coronavirus cases in the state.

In casinos, guests started to remove their masks, and employees expressed relief they no longer had to police the mandate. Blackjack dealers and cocktail waitresses at some Strip resorts quickly ditched their face coverings.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board issued a notice saying people “are no longer required to wear a mask in public indoor settings in licensed gaming establishments” unless required by a local jurisdiction.

Las Vegas hasn’t seen this much skin — at least from the chin up — since the latest mask mandate was instituted in July.

Camilla Grandgeorge and her husband, Bob, said they ditched masks long before the mandate ended Thursday.

“We don’t wear masks if we don’t have to,” Grandgeorge said, as she stood bare-faced on the Las Vegas Strip outside the Bellagio.

Back in the rural farm town of Webster City, Iowa, nobody has worn a mask for quite some time, she said, adding: “Do masks even work? I’ve had COVID twice.”

At the Strat, General Manager Stephen Thayer welcomed an end to the mandate and its related headaches — such as constantly reminding guests to put on their masks and wear them properly.

“Nobody wants to go tell someone to keep their mask up; that was not a fun part of the job, but we had to do it,” Thayer said. “Now, we can spend our time focused on guest service, which is what our industry is all about.”

MGM Resorts International President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle said masks wouldn’t be required for guests or employees at its properties in Nevada and several other states where mandates have been lifted.

“Like you, I’m excited to see things beginning to return to normal after more than two long years,” Hornbuckle said in a letter to employees. “I’m also excited to see your faces again, as well as the faces of our guests. It’s been too long.”

In making his announcement, Sisolak cited a decline in COVID cases, hospitalizations and the amount of virus detected during wastewater testing.

“I’m hopeful that we’re in a good position to drop this, to give people back some freedom,” Sisolak said. “Everyone wants to get back to their normal life, whatever normal is. It’s been two years. So, I think the time has come, and I’m confident that we’ve analyzed the appropriate data and we’ve made the right decision.”

Businesses and other entities, including school districts, are still free to set their own mask policies, Sisolak said.

But from the Clark County School District to the Vegas Golden Knights to Strip nightclubs, the message was the same: No masks required.

Dustin Drai, an executive with Drai’s Nightclub and Beachclub at the Cromwell, said dropping the mask mandate was “fantastic for the city of Las Vegas.”

“Everyone’s biggest fear was that we’d see some sort of shutdown again, so this is a step in the right direction — not only for nightlife but for the hotel and entertainment industry,” Drai said. “This is the right decision.”

Keith Eure, director of operations for Clique Hospitality, which runs several Las Vegas nightclubs, said it would be “energizing” for servers and bartenders to interact with patrons without masks.

Clique operates Eight Lounge at Resorts World, Clique Bar and Lounge at the Cosmopolitan, and Light Nightclub at Mandalay Bay, which is set to reopen this weekend after being closed for nearly two years.

“In Las Vegas, we’ve done our best to get through this. I think this town has done a great job of keeping people safe,” Eure said. “Now we’re in this moment where masks can come off.”

But just because masks are no longer required doesn’t mean they will be going away altogether.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Southern Nevada Health District still recommend masks in crowded indoor settings.

Carl and Veltrice Higginbotham, who arrived in Las Vegas from North Carolina just hours before the mandate was lifted, said they had no plans to take off their masks.

“We’ve been wearing them for so long, it’s natural,” said Veltrice Higginbotham, who, like her husband, is vaccinated and boosted.

James Quinata of Corpus Christi, Texas, said he planned to wear a mask for his own protection but that it should be up to the individual if they want to mask up.

“We do what we want to do, not what the governor tells us to do,” Quinata said. “I believe in the science, and it’s better to be protected than not.”