Southern Nevada Reimplements Mask Recommendation, Los Angeles Warns Against Las Vegas Travel

Posted on: July 16, 2021, 08:35h. 

Last updated on: July 16, 2021, 01:22h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Southern Nevada health officials are urging both vaccinated and unvaccinated people to once again wear face masks while in public.

Los Angeles Las Vegas Nevada coronavirus
Los Angeles health officials say residents, especially those unvaccinated, should avoid traveling to Las Vegas. The reason an uptick in new COVID-19 cases renders Sin City dangerous for the time being. (Image: Getty)

The US Centers for Disease and Prevention reports that Nevada, Missouri, Florida, Arkansas, and Louisiana are all experiencing worrisome seven-day new case rates. Each of those states is classified as “high” community transmission, the most severe of the CDC’s four-tier scale. It’s led to the reimplementation of the mask guidance.

Meanwhile, a Los Angeles health official is warning residents regarding the dangers of traveling to states experiencing a COVID-19 surge, including Nevada.

I do want to recommend — especially if you’re unvaccinated — reconsider traveling to places where the seven-day COVID-19 case rates are increasingly high, like Nevada, our neighbor,” said Los Angeles Health Official Dr. Muntu Davis in his briefing to the LA County Board of Supervisors this week.

Nevada reported 938 new cases yesterday, its highest single-day total in more than five months. Even worse, in Clark County, home to Las Vegas, the area reported 180 new cases per 100,000 people last week. That’s nearly triple the rate in Los Angeles County. 

LA Critical for LV

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) reports that in 2019, Southern California accounted for 18 percent of all visitors to Las Vegas. And Los Angeles tourists gamble more than any other origin demographic.

Visitors from Southern California spend on average (pre-pandemic) $323 on food and beverages, more than $100 shopping, and a staggering $658 gambling. They also book impromptu trips more frequently, more than half planning their Sin City excursion from one week to one month out. 

Naturally, Las Vegas casinos cater heavily to Los Angeles and Southern Nevada visitors. It’s why more than one in four (26 percent) in 2019 received a casino comp for their hotel room.

Nevada Vaccinations Increase 

Dr. Davis warning locals to avoid traveling to Nevada and Las Vegas is, of course, not what casino operators want to hear. But health officials in their home state say the situation is improving.

Los Angeles has reinstated its mask mandate, including for those vaccinated. The Southern Nevada Health District’s mask recommendation, however, is not a state- or county-ordered mandate.

State health experts say vaccinations are up 32 percent since the launch of the “Vax Nevada Days” program, which enters vaccinated individuals into a raffle for cash and college tuition prices. 

Michelle White, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s (D) chief of staff, added that the administration is doing everything in its power to make Las Vegas and the entire state a safe destination. 

Las Vegas and Nevada, unlike Los Angeles and California, must endure interstate travel via Interstate 15. Approximately 50,000 vehicles travel through Nevada on I-15 each day.