What Nevada’s COVID Reopening Plans Means for Las Vegas
Clark County to Increase Capacity Limits to 80 percent
After a year of strict COVID-19 restrictions, Las Vegas and the rest of the Nevada are inching closer to reopening the state.
At a recent press conference last week, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said he expects every county to be open at 100 percent capacity by June 1. The governor is also handing COVID mitigation efforts over to the state’s counties on May 1, meaning that any county could potentially reopen at 100 percent capacity by then.
“We are aware that some counties may make the decision to move to 100 percent capacity as early as May 1 when they gain the authority––and others may not. Each county in Nevada is unique and two of seven have different factors to consider––rural or urban settings, community transmission rates, in the area, and vaccine administration, among a few,” Sisolak said in his video address.
Clark County––the state’s largest county and home to Las Vegas––doesn’t appear like it’ll be fully open by May 1.
Clark County Commissioners voted during a regularly scheduled Tuesday meeting to increase capacity limits from 50 to 80 percent for gatherings including gyms, retail stores, museums, indoor malls, community and recreational buildings, and karaoke establishments.
Here’s a more specific breakdown of the mitigation effort:
- Social distancing will be decreased from six feet to three
- Restaurants can seat 12 patrons at a table instead of six
- Nightclubs and dayclubs can reopen
- Dancefloors can reopen with social distancing requirements
- Self-serve buffets and food sampling will be allowed
- Salad bars, salsa bars, and condiment stations can return
- Body art and piercing around the nose and mouth will be permitted
- Hot tubs and spas may reopen
- Eight people will be allowed to ride an elevator instead of four
- Youth and Adult sporting events must submit approval plans
- Adult entertainment venues can operate again under strict social distancing guidelines
- Gaming floors, places of worship, and cannabis distribution businesses will remain under state control and COVID guidelines
- Gatherings with less than 20,000 people can be approved at three feet social distancing at 80 percent capacity if:
- The venue is outside or well ventilated if indoors
- 50 percent of the population has received first dose of their COVID vaccine.
While the county is working under this mitigation plan, it is possible that Clark County may be able to return to 100 percent capacity sooner than Gov. Sisolak’s prediction once 60 percent of the eligible population is fully vaccinated.
“The Clark County plan ensures that our region continues to stay vigilant in protecting the health of our residents and visitors to include following common-sense risk reduction measures and continuous comprehensive monitoring/analysis of disease burden factors such as hospital status, test positivity rate, community testing numbers, and COVID cases per week while prioritizing efforts for herd immunity by incentivizing vaccinations,” the County proposal states. “While it is Governor Sisolak’s goal of having every county reopen to 100% on June 1, Clark County is cautiously optimistic we will meet this goal if Southern Nevadans continue with current robust vaccination efforts.”
To reach the 60-percent threshold, about 1,097,955 people locally would need to get at least one shot, according to the county.
To read the county’s full mitigation plan, click here.
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