Las Vegas Strip Gets Good News for Tourists

Sin City has seen some major triumphs over the past year but covid and other health concerns have remained a dark cloud.

The Las Vegas Strip literally went dark in March 2020. The massive casinos owned by Caesars Entertainment (CZR) - Get Free Report, MGM Resorts International (MGM) - Get Free Report, Wynn Resorts (WYNN) - Get Free Report, and other Strip operators turned their lights off, closed their doors, and told their employees to go home.

In May of 2020, the covid-related closure order was lifted but what happened next was hardly a return to normal. The Strip reopened under strict capacity, social distancing, and mask rules. Plastic barriers went up between slot machines, table games lowered how many people could play, and restaurants required masks when you weren't actively eating.

Caesars and MGM, the two biggest players on the Strip, slowly reopened their properties but it was really about two years later -- for March Madness in 2022 followed by the NFL Draft in April -- that the Strip truly returned to normal.

But even as crowds returned, covid showed just how badly (and quickly) a healthcare crisis could impact, or even end, business on the Las Vegas Strip. Now, while covid has largely been under control, Las Vegas has seen respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), an outbreak of "superbug" Candida auris (C. auris), and rising number of MPox (formerly known as Monkeypox cases).

The Las Vegas Strip Is Vulnerable

While covid was a global crisis, Las Vegas remains vulnerable to less widespread health concerns on two levels. First, there's a question of perception. Some people -- older and international travelers especially -- won't come to Las Vegas if they're worried about getting sick.

Second, Las Vegas only has so much hospital capacity. RSV, for example, filled pediatric wards but was less of a concern for adults. C. auris has been more of a hospital-related problem. It spreads quickly in hospitals and is drug-resistant, but it has not proven to be a major concern for tourists (who generally don't expect to be hospitalized).

Mpox, however, has loomed over the Las Vegas Strip. The virus spreads quickly and earlier this year cases had been rising. The illness can be deadly, but it generally presents like this, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

"People with mpox often get a rash that may be located on hands, feet, chest, face, or mouth or near the genitals, including penis, testicles, labia, and vagina, and anus. The incubation period is 3-17 days. During this time, a person does not have symptoms and may feel fine," the agency shared on its website.

Flu-like symptoms are also possible and people are contagious as soon as they show symptoms until they have fully healed. Spread was a major concern for Las Vegas Strip casino operators, but the threat appears to have passed.

Mpox Threat Is Leaving Las Vegas

There was a period when mpox loomed as a threat that could impact tourism or even shut down Las Vegas. Those fears appear to have passed, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“I can’t say it’s eradicated,” Cassius Lockett with the Southern Nevada Health District told the paper of the once rare virus that has triggered outbreaks around the globe this year. “It does appear that it’s under control.”

That's very good news for Caesars, MGM, Wynn, and other operators on the Strip. Crowds have returned to close to, or in some cases have exceeded, their pre-covid 2019 levels. Removing a reason to not visit Las Vegas and generally changing the narrative back to "adult fun," and away from "will I get sick?" should help maintain that momentum.  

Only one new mpox case was reported in the Las Vegas area in December, according to the most recent data. About 300 cases and one death were reported earlier this year.