Sun Staff
A normally busy sidewalk in front of the MGM Grand is nearly empty Sunday, March 15, 2020. MGM Resorts International announced it will temporarily suspend operations at its Las Vegas properties beginning Monday to help thwart the spread of the coronavirus.
Published Sunday, March 15, 2020 | 5:57 p.m.
Updated Sunday, March 15, 2020 | 8:17 p.m.
MGM Resorts International will suspend operations at its Las Vegas properties beginning Monday to help thwart the spread of the coronavirus, the company announced today.
Casino operations will be suspended Monday and hotel operations on Tuesday, the company said. MGM properties will not be taking reservations for arrivals prior to May 1, officials said.
In Las Vegas, MGM operates the Aria, MGM Grand, Luxor, Excalibur, Mandalay Bay, New York-New York, Park MGM, Mirage and Bellagio resorts. The temporary closure will also include T-Mobile Arena, a major Strip sports and concert venue.
Wynn Resorts, meanwhile, also announced it was closing its Wynn Las Vegas and Encore properties, probably for at least two weeks.
The Strip's other major casino operator, Caesars Entertainment, has not announced any plans to shutter its Las Vegas resorts, although it is closing properties elsewhere.
MGM officials said that as the coronavirus pandemic intensified over the past week, it worked to find a way to continue to provide a high-caliber guest experience and a safe environment. Health officials have now reported 16 cases of coronavirus in Clark County.
"Despite our commitment to dedicating additional resources for cleaning and promoting good health, while making difficult decisions to close certain aspects of our operations, it is now apparent that this is a public health crisis that requires major collective action if we are to slow its progression," MGM Chairman and CEO Jim Murren said in a statement.
"This is a time of uncertainty across our country and the globe and we must all do our part to curtail the spread of this virus," Murren said. "We will plan to reopen our resorts as soon as it safe to do so and we will continue to support our employees, guests, and communities in every way that we can during this period of closure."
After Wynn Resorts announced the first Strip closures today, Barry Jonas, a gaming industry analyst for investment firm SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, said it was a waiting game to see if other Las Vegas casino operators would follow suit.
"At this point, it’s a public health concern, a pandemic," Jonas said. "We’re going to have to see how this two weeks thing goes."
A number of casinos around the U.S. have closed as a result of the spread of the coronavirus, some at the order of state officials.
Caesars today announced it will cease resort and gaming operations Monday in Indiana at the Horseshoe Hammond, Harrah’s Hoosier Park Racing and Casino, and Indiana Grand and Winner’s Circle. Harrah’s Resort SoCal in Valley Center, Calif., will also close Monday.
Michael Green, an associate history professor at UNLV, said such wholesale casino closures are unprecedented in Las Vegas.
"We haven’t seen anything like this," Green said. "During World War II, there were curfews, and I believe the casinos stopped for a time after the Kennedy assassination. After Sept. 11 (the 2001 terror attacks), it wasn’t that casinos shut down, but just that nobody came for a time. The resorts didn’t have any business and that’s generally where we’re headed as we continue to practice social distancing."
Green, however, expressed confidence in Las Vegas' resiliency. "We can pull through this," he said.
