Casino exec calls for Las Vegas Strip to reopen by the end of May

The CEO of Wynn Resorts is calling for the Las Vegas Strip to slowly begin reopening in May with restrictions in place. 

Matt Maddox released a 23-page plan along with an op-ed published Sunday in The Nevada Independent urging officials to consider reopening certain Las Vegas businesses now closed amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Maddox said certain parts of the Nevada economy should be reopened in early May, with measures such as reduced occupancy, temperature checks and requiring masks put in place. 

He also said that if Nevada is “still in line with the benchmarks” in mid- to late-May, the Las Vegas Strip should slowly begin to reopen “with extensive safety measures in place.” 

He said the data should be monitored every day and restrictions could be marginally pulled back or reimposed if necessary. 

He acknowledged that the main obstacle to implementing the plan is widespread testing, which he anticipates will be available in the coming weeks. 

“I understand that if we incrementally reopen we might have to pull back if a spike in cases occurs that jeopardizes 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,” Maddox wrote. 

Wynn Resorts closed in March, a few days before the state ordered closures. 

Wynn Resorts is paying its full-time and part-time employees for 60 days through May 15, costing Wynn Resorts about $3 million per day or $180 million for two months, Maddox said.