Operator News
US – Wynn CEO outlines potential reopening timeline
By Phil - 20 April 2020
Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox wants Nevada’s governor to begin reopening the Las Vegas Strip in mid-to late May with extensive safety measures.
In an opinion piece for the Nevada Independent, Mr. Maddox wrote: “I understand that if we incrementally reopen we might have to pull back if a spike in cases occurs that jeopardises our health care 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. Our economy is in a free fall. Nevada will likely be one of the hardest hit states in the nation and suffer very high unemployment. It is imperative to flatten this curve so we can re-emerge in a safe, sustainable way.”
“It is costing us approximately $3m per day or $180m for two months. Some of our elected officials have questioned the closure, calling it “insanity”. That opinion has no basis in science or data and should be ignored. Our detailed plan to keep employees and customers safe upon reopening relies on the best available science on sanitization methods in consultation with professional infectious disease experts from the best academic institutions in the country. We will continue to refine and update the plan as our experts provide us more advice. Our procedures are extensive and not applicable to all resorts in our industry.
In addition, I have been on calls almost daily with one of the country’s leading public health and pandemic preparedness experts, as well as various leaders in our medical community representing our hospitals and they agree that an incremental reopening makes sense and that science and data must lead us out of this in a safe fashion.
Mr. Maddox believes the governor should begin by reopening parts of the local Nevada economy in early May. “Begin with reduced occupancy, physical distancing measures in place, temperature checks and no large gatherings. We all need to wear a mask. Wearing a mask is uncomfortable; however, it will allow our economy to reopen faster,” he said. “Assuming in mid-to-late-May we are still in line with the benchmarks, slowly begin to reopen the Las Vegas Strip with extensive safety measures in place. We should monitor the data every day. If we need to, we should marginally pull back or move forward.”
Governor Steve Sisolak expects to know more next week but said he had no ‘benchmark date’ and that any reopening would be gradual.
“I will give as much notice as humanly possible,” he said. “It’s not going to be just flip on the light switch and everything goes back to normal because that’s not how we’re doing things,” he said, adding that “it would be unfair for me to just guess a date. I won’t do that. Some people are more concerned with the business side of this than the human toll that this virus is taking. I will put the safety of our folks ahead of any profits. People who think you can just say ‘We’re open back up,’ and suddenly these hotels are going to be filled, don’t understand how the hotel industry works.”
