Starting Friday, everyone who goes out in public will have to wear a mask or face covering. Gov. Steve Sisolak signed a new directive that makes wearing a mask mandatory, a move meant to help curb the spread of COVID-19. In the past four weeks since non-essential businesses started reopening and more people went out in public, the number of COVID-19 cases has increased across the state.
“This is a state that prides itself on the spirit of individualism,” Sisolak said in a press conference on Wednesday. “It is part of what makes us great. So I’m asking all of us to take our independent spirit and turn that into our individual responsibility to keep the lights on for businesses throughout our state.”
The governor’s new directive requires a mask whenever people leave the house to help keep businesses open. People must wear masks in public places, while waiting in line to enter a public space, or when outdoors and it’s not possible to maintain six feet of social distancing.
“As I said last week, we’re not post COVID. We’re still in the middle of the first phase, the first wave of COVID,” Sisolak said. “So please, I cannot emphasize this enough, wear your face covering anytime you leave your house, when you go to a restaurant, and you stop the pharmacy, when you enter a casino. Wear your face covering.”
As with every rule, there are exceptions. Those with a medical condition that prevents them from wearing a mask do not need to follow this directive. The homeless also are exempt, as are the hearing impaired. Children under age 2 do not need to wear a mask.
Diners seated at a restaurant or other business that offers food or beverage services, do not need to wear a mask while they are eating or drinking. Restaurants and bars still need to arrange seating to maintain a distance of at least six feet away from persons who are not members of the same household or residence.
Businesses are asked to establish a “no mask, no service” policy. The governor’s office suggests first asking a person who is not wearing a mask if they are part of an exempted category. Businesses have the right to ask a patron to return at a different time with a face covering. The governor advises businesses that encounter customers who escalate the situation to call in law enforcement to assist.
Sisolak also said the decision to mandate masks was not a political one. “I don’t know why protecting our health and our neighbors’ lives became a political, partisan, or even philosophical decision,” he said. “It’s a medical necessity, a human obligation, and is good for business. Study after study worldwide, every notable medical professional from President Trump’s top advisor, [director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases] Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, to all of our Nevada medical professionals assert one unassailable conclusion — wearing face coverings save lives, period, and end of story.”
On Wednesday, Caesars Entertainment independently implemented a new policy that everyone must wear a mask. The parent company behind Caesars Palace, the Flamingo Las Vegas, Harrah’s Las Vegas, the Linq, Paris Las Vegas, and other properties on the Las Vegas Strip mandated the new policy at noon on Wednesday, June 24. That means everyone indoors at its properties is required to wear masks at all times, except when eating or drinking.
The policy applies to all employees, vendors, contractors, guests, and passersby in properties. Previously, all employees and those customers who play table games were required to wear masks at Caesars properties.
At Caesars properties, anyone who refuses to wear a mask, after being asked to put one on, will be directed to leave the property.
MGM Resorts says it will follow the governor’s new directive. “Given the public health situation and the reports of new cases, we support the governor’s decision to require masks in public places and will begin to enforce according to his guidelines,” MGM Resorts International acting CEO and president Bill Hornbuckle said in a press statement.
Clark County reported 295 new COVID-19 cases and two additional deaths on Wednesday, according to the Southern Nevada Health District. On Tuesday, the health department reported 412 new cases, the biggest one-day increase in COVID-19 cases yet. On average, Clark County sees about 290 new cases and three deaths reported daily. So far, 404 people have died due to complications of COVID-19 in Clark County.
Sisolak closed casinos on March 17 to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Nevada Gaming Control Board issued guidelines to resorts to reopen that include maintaining 50 percent capacity, masks on staff, cleaning protocols, and social distancing throughout the casino. Casinos were permitted to reopen across the state on June 4. He says the state is not ready to move into phase three of reopening for business as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to climb statewide.
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