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Wynn Las Vegas CEO Matt Maddox believes his resorts on the Las Vegas Strip will open by the end of the month. Gov. Steve Sisolak says that casinos cannot reopen until phase three or four of his plan to bring businesses back, but Maddox remains confident that the state will hit benchmarks including a decline in disease growth, adequate hospital capacity, and increased testing capacity to reopen.
“We’ve been working very closely with the state and local officials, as well as the gaming control boards, to contemplate when it would be safe for when to begin to reopen,” he tells staff in a video posted on Twitter. “Depending on how the state does with the benchmarks, we could be in a position to be reopening at the end of May.
“While I can’t guarantee that we’re going to be opening at the end of May, it is really dependent on the science and the data coming out. We are preparing for that eventuality.
CEO, Matt Maddox, gives an important update on plans to extend full pay for all employees through May 31, providing testing for every Wynn employee, and for safely reopening our resorts. #WynnStrong #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/9NSd8prn3i
— Wynn Las Vegas (@WynnLasVegas) May 6, 2020
Maddox said Wynn plans to continue paying staff, about 15,000 salaried, hourly and part-time U.S. employees nationwide, through the end of May, an expense that comes in at $250 million since casinos closed in March.
The resort also partnered with University Medical Center to allow free testing for COVID-19 for all employees.
“We’re working closely with our state and local officials and our gaming control boards to ensure that as we move forward and when we get to an opening, it will be a very safe environment for all of you and for all of our customers,” Maddox says.
In April, Maddox revealed a plan for reopening that includes thermal cameras that would alert staff when someone enters the resort with a temperature over 100 degrees F. Those guests and employees would be directed to take a secondary temperature reading, will not be allowed to enter the resort and instead directed to appropriate medical care.
Wynn also plans to arrange proper distancing at restaurant tables, slot machines, and other physical layouts to maintain six-foot distancing guidelines. The resort would also offer touchless hand sanitizer dispensers at entrances as well as contact areas such as driveways, reception areas, hotel lobbies, the casino floor, restaurant entrances, meeting and convention spaces, elevator landings, pools, salons, and exercise areas.
• Wynn CEO Predicts the Las Vegas Strip Could Reopen in Mid- to Late May [ELV]
• How Coronavirus Is Affecting Las Vegas Food and Restaurants [ELV]
