COVID Testing Of Las Vegas Casino Employee Starts Thursday

Published: 21/05/2020

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The first tens of thousands of Las Vegas casino employees are set for COVID-19 testing on Thursday after months of waiting for job callbacks for the scheduled casino re-openings. The testing is included in the cooperative plan revealed by several officials from casino companies and local tourism, hospitals, and workers’ union on Tuesday.

Casinos will reopen soon

Since their mandatory closure, there has been no fixed schedule for the reopening of the casinos, following the mandate of Gov. Steve Sisolak in March. All the resorts in Nevada halted their operations to help prevent social gatherings and the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

However, some of the casinos are eager to reopen operations on June 1 after months of no revenue. Officials said that the scheduled testing of notified employees would take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Testing is free for those who will take the tests.

Officials said that they aim to collect up to 4,000 test samples every day. Employees need to wait 48 hours for the result, and those tested positive will proceed to the Southern Nevada Health District for contact tracing.

The MGM Resorts International, Caesars Entertainment, Boyd Gaming, the University Medical Center, the Culinary Union Health Fund, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority disclose the details of the scheduled tests on a joint announcement. Still, they did not reveal the actual cost of the testing.

Geoconda Argüello-Kline, the union secretary-treasurer, said that COVID-19 testing ensures that Culinary Union members are safe when they return to work. She assured that they would prioritize the health and safety of employees and guests.

MGM Resorts and Caesars own the majority of more than 150,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas Strip. More than 60,000 employees in each company lost their jobs in March. Mason VanHouweling, CEO of a University Medical Center, acknowledged the task force of business leaders from Nevada, spearheaded by former MGM Resorts executive Jim Murren, as they help collect resources boost the testing capacity.

Tests are essential for recovery

Mr. Murren believed that the tests are essential in boosting the economy of the state. He is hoping that authorities could cater to testing 30,000 employees every day by June 1. Tony Rodio, Caesar’s chief executive, said that their employees are tasked to complete a questionnaire that shows their need for a COVID-19 test.

The virus shows different symptoms depending on the reaction of a person’s immune system. Infected patients suffer from mild to moderate symptoms and are cleared of the virus after weeks, while those with weaker immune system gets severe, resulting in death.

On Tuesday, health officials reported not less than 7,000 positive cases of COVID-19, including 365 deaths. Gov. Sisolak appointed Caleb Cage, the state’s former emergency manager, to oversee the COVID-19 programs, including testing and contact tracing.

As the recent executive at the Nevada System of Higher Education, Mr. Cage worked at the Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. The governor said that Mr. Cage would oversee the federally supported, state-managed, and locally executed response to the coronavirus pandemic.