The Nevada Gaming Control Board updated its coronavirus health and safety policies for resort casino operators late Wednesday and is now requiring patrons to wear facial masks or face coverings at table games unless there is a partition or shield that separates the dealer from each player.
Under the changes, the requirement for face masks “applies to table and card game players, spectators, and any other person within six feet of any table or card game.”
The change in the board’s health and safety policies comes after Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak stopped short Monday of ordering all casino customers to wear masks while on the gaming floors as a possible deterrent to the spread of COVID-19. He said property employees should continue to encourage guests to wear facial coverings.
Nevada’s casino industry reopened on June 4, with most operators requiring employees to wear masks while at work but making their usage optional for casino customers.
In the updated guidance, the board added that casino operators not only “must provide face masks or cloth face coverings for patrons and guests” but also that casinos “have dedicated signage throughout the establishment notifying patrons that face coverings are available.”
Licensees must ensure that face coverings are provided upon request.
In an interview, Gaming Control Board Chairwoman Sandra Douglass Morgan said reports from state gaming agents that had visited Nevada casinos over the past 13 days showed some concerns about an evident lack of protection for employees and customers.
“Social distancing was not where we wanted it to be,” Morgan said, adding that the decision to add the face mask requirement at table games was made by all three Control Board members. “We still want the casinos to strongly encourage patrons to wear masks. “
Over the weekend, anecdotal evidence surfaced on social media that mask-wearing by casino customers has, to this point, been minimal.
“I’m encouraging people to voluntarily wear masks,” Sisolak said Monday. “We’re not in a post-COVID era. We’re in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re right dead smack in the middle of it.”
The Control Board did not make any changes to health and safety policies covering slot machine play.
Thursday will mark two weeks since casinos reopened following a 78-day closure. However, less than half the Strip resorts reopened initially under the social distancing conditions and restrictions implemented by the Control Board, which includes a 50% limit on capacity, a reduced number of slot machines, and fewer seats at gaming tables.
Additional properties have announced reopenings through July 1.
The Control Board also issued an additional policy for gaming establishments wishing to hold closed events, such as musical performances, live entertainment, concerts, competitions, and sporting events, that are closed for public attendance, but could be live-streamed, televised or filmed.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
