LAS VEGAS (NewsNation Now) — After months of pandemic shutdowns and restrictions, Las Vegas fully reopened its hotel resorts, casinos, and restaurants Tuesday.
Previously, casinos, where 80 percent of staff were vaccinated, could operate at 100 percent capacity, but several venues didn’t meet that threshold. Now, all businesses are back, ushering in a new milestone for the valley, as Clark County moves forward through the pandemic.
It’s a time many have all been waiting for, and from the Las Vegas Strip to Downtown, people are celebrating. The Fremont Street Experience hosted what they are calling “Downtown Rocks Again!”
Three music stages were set up, where people of all ages can come down and enjoy live tunes from a variety of bands that will be playing. The Viva Vision Canopy screens also ran a countdown clock, counting down to midnight.
A recorded message by Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman was shown and Fremont Experience officials were in attendance. Headliners included Spandex Nation and Zowie Bowie.
“It’s great. It’s an American summer, following the pandemic, everyone deserves to go out,” said David Charles, visiting from Los Angeles.
Local Wendy Pineda told NewsNation affilate KLAS, “I guess at how packed it is normally, that it is not going to make much of a difference here.”
With this full reopening, that of which is easily one of the biggest to happen thus far in the country, vaccinated people will not have to wear masks or practice social distancing. Restaurants and stores will most likely go back to regular hours, and there will be no capacity restrictions.
However, that doesn’t mean the city is done with social distancing and mask-wearing, as each business is allowed to implement what they feel comfortable with within their own business.
If hospital capacity does rise, Clark County commissioners may implement COVID-19 protocols once again.
The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate KLAS contributed to this report.