Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox is Man with a COVID-19 Plan, Announces Testing Lab
Posted on: October 1, 2020, 02:03h.
Last updated on: October 1, 2020, 02:47h.
Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox announced today that the casino company is building a COVID-19 testing lab at its Las Vegas Strip property Wynn Las Vegas.
In an opinion piece published today in The Nevada Independent, Maddox says research shows that many potential visitors to Southern Nevada are staying away because of a fear of coming in contact with infected people. “We must alleviate that fear,” the CEO said.
Maddox says that can be accomplished by conducting widespread, fast COVID-19 testing. Wynn Las Vegas, along with the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, is building a coronavirus lab at the Strip casino resort that will be able to conduct thousands of tests daily, with same-day results. Construction is underway.
Maddox says the Wynn/UMC lab will offer employees and guests the most accurate testing center in the United States and will utilize FDA-approved PCR (polymerize chain reaction) technology.
Maddox has led Wynn Resorts since his mentor Steve Wynn fell from the public’s good graces in early 2018 amid allegations of sexual misconduct. The billionaire resigned from the company that bears his name in February of that year.
Las Vegas Rebound
No economy relies heavier on tourism than Nevada, and the state’s largest city is naturally reeling in wake of COVID-19.
Visitor volumes remain low, August welcoming just 1.5 million people to Las Vegas — a 57 percent year-over-year decline. Gross gaming revenue (GGR) on the Strip totaled $317.3 million, a 25.1 percent drop from August 2019.
All conventions remain on hold, though that could change in the last three months of the year. This week, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) announced large venues that can accommodate more than 2,500 people can operate at 10 percent capacity indoors, and smaller venues can host up to 50 percent of their capacity — or 250 people — whichever is less.
Maddox says it takes more than the government to restart Las Vegas.
Hoping our government alone will solve getting Las Vegas back on track is not viable. Hope, as the saying goes, is not a strategy. Instead, community leaders must present science-based options that advance our broader goals to reignite our city,” Maddox declared.
Maddox says a person who is tested in the Wynn/UMC lab will receive their results within hours on a free mobile app. The data is private and with a negative COVID-19 result, will allow the person to enter a show, convention, nightclub, or other crowded space.
“If by chance, someone is infected after they take the test, science tells us that it takes approximately 48 hours for that person to become communicable,” Maddox added of the process.
Test Results
Wynn Resorts disclosed last month that since its two Las Vegas Strip casinos reopened on June 4, 497 employee coronavirus tests have come back positive. But the company says it has seen a significant downward trend in virus positivity rates in recent weeks.
“Wynn Las Vegas has hosted more than 500,000 guests since re-opening in early June. Guests who self-identify with potential exposure or display symptoms are offered in-room testing, and six guests have tested positive,” a company statement detailed.
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Last Comments ( 2 )
Well said, Scott Simpson. Trump and his followers have failed the country with their reluctance to follow science. So the US covid situation grinds on and on. And yes, Hope is not an option.
For being a buddy of Trump, Maddox sure sounds like a liberal with all this free help. It is people who make a difference in the lives of those in need and of everyone in the community, that sense of civic duty and going the extra mile for the community, investing in your employees.... when Americans come together to solve problems instead of this president who only divides, lies, incites hatred and violence, praises violence from far-right extremist groups while blaming those protesting for peace and their Constitutional rights. There is a reason that black people have an Amendment to the Constitution snd it isnt because ‘ALL’ lives matter, it’s because their lives have been marginalized. So, put aside prejudices and presidential propaganda and BE the America that has been great in the past when America had empathy and compassion, and when we Loved Our Neighbors (but, this time it must be Love ALL Your Neighbors, not just some).