In an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, Wynn Las Vegas was one of the first casino resorts to close in Nevada, even before Governor Steve Sisolak’s mandate to close nonessential businesses. Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox has revealed the property is slowly preparing to reopen for business and will unveil major technology, sanitation and social distancing measures to keep its customers safe.
Wynn and Maddox released a health and sanitation plan, developed in consultation with public health and medical professionals. In it, Maddox states that he believes parts of the Nevada economy and the Las Vegas Strip can begin to open in mid- to late May, assuming the state is in line with benchmarks and extensive safety measures are in place.
Wynn’s ambitious reopening strategy and safety precautions could serve as a blueprint for other major hotels and meeting facilities.
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Wynn’s reopening health and sanitation plan includes:
- Using thermal cameras at entry points to detect if an employee or guest has a temperature of more than 100 degrees F. Anyone over that marker will be taken to a private area for a second temperature check.
- Advising guests to physically distance themselves from other guests not traveling with them–no less than six feet apart–and employees from guests and other employees when possible. Slot machines, tables at restaurants and other physical layouts at Wynn will be rearranged to support the six-foot rule.
- Placing hand sanitizer at entry points and contact areas such as reception areas, lobbies, casino floors, meeting and convention spaces, pool, salons, elevator landings and exercise areas.
- Providing all employees with COVID-19 training on safety and sanitation protocols.
- Monitoring COVID-19 data every day, including hospitalizations and deaths per million, and pulling back or moving forward as needed.
- Allowing no more than four guests per elevator
- Using signage throughout the property to remind guests and employees to avoid touching their faces, wash their hands and proper ways to wear, handle and dispose of masks.
- Increasing the frequency of cleaning and sanitizing public spaces, including check-in counters, elevators and elevator buttons, public bathrooms, escalator and stair handrails, and gaming machines.
“We will continue to refine and update the plan as our experts provide us more advice,” Maddox said in a statement, adding: “I understand that if we incrementally reopen, we might have to pull back if a spike in cases occurs that jeopardizes our healthcare system capacity. However, the only way to cross this river is one stone at a time, and we need to put our feet in the water before it is too late.”
Upon arrival, guests of the hotel will be asked to sanitize their hands and to wear a mask provided by the resort. Guests will also receive an “amenity bag” during check-in that will include masks, hand sanitizer and a COVID-19 awareness card. Wipes and spray sanitizer will also be available in each room, subject to availability.
Meeting and convention spaces will be open, with set-up arrangements that allow for physical distancing between guests based on Centers for Disease Control and state recommendations. The property will suspend buffet-style food service in these spaces and replace it with “alternative service styles.”
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“This plan presents what we will do to keep our guests, employees and our community safe,” Maddox said in the statement. “Each operating department has its own customized set of procedures, even more detailed than the 20-page summary presented here.”
Maddox also noted that Wynn has continued to pay its full-time and part-time employees while the resort is closed, for 60 days through May 15, including an estimate of tips they could earn. According to Maddox, the property is spending $3 million per day to do this.
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