Las Vegas resorts closing doors due to coronavirus spread

Several Las Vegas resorts are closing amid concerns about the spreading coronavirus pandemic. 

Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts announced temporary closures Monday. 

Wynn Resorts announced its Wynn Las Vegas and Encore hotels on the Las Vegas strip will close for at least two weeks starting Tuesday at 6 p.m. The move was made for the safety of its employees and guests, the company said. 

Wynn asked those with reservations who have not yet arrived in Las Vegas to cancel their reservations in full, and asked guests of the hotel to plan to check out Tuesday at noon. Reservations made directly through the hotel will be refunded. 

In order to keep our employees and guests safe, we have decided to close Wynn Las Vegas and Encore on Tuesday, March 17, at 6 pm. We anticipate that we will be closed for two weeks, after which we will evaluate the situation. Visit https://t.co/ZVdFo0wUMc for regular updates.

— Wynn Las Vegas (@WynnLasVegas) March 16, 2020

MGM Resorts said it will temporarily close at the end of day Tuesday “for the good of employees, guests and communities.” The hotel said it will not be taking reservations for arrivals prior to May 1, according to a company statement. 

“As the coronavirus pandemic has intensified in the United States over the past week, the people of MGM Resorts have worked to try to find a way to continue delivering high quality hospitality and entertainment experiences for our guests while keeping our employees doing the jobs they love in a safe environment,” MGM Chairman and CEO Jim Murren said in the statement.

“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,” Murren added. 

The Las Vegas resort closures followed Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s (D) announcement Sunday to close schools throughout the state through early April to mitigate the spread of the virus.