Las Vegas moves forward with New Year’s Eve plans despite omicron surge

More than 300,000 visitors are expected to attend Las Vegas’s New Year’s Eve fireworks show Friday night, and the city has said it will not cancel or scale back its events amid the COVID-19 surge due to the omicron variant, reports The Associated Press.

The event typically takes place at the Las Vegas Strip, though last year it was canceled due to concerns about COVID-19, notes the AP. 

Thousands are also anticipated at an outdoor music event beneath a canopy light show, which will take place at one of the city’s casinos at a pedestrian mall called the Fremont Street Experience.

“If you’re sick, stay at home. If you’re indoors, wear a mask,” said Michael Naft, a Clark County commissioner, according to the AP. 

“We encourage everyone to look out for one another, take personal responsibility and proactively take actions to limit the spread of COVID-19,” Naft added.

“We are saying people [can] feel comfortable to be mask-free,” Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman (I) said. “But individually, if you have an issue or you’re concerned, wear your mask. It’s a question of respect.”

Goodman has been an outspoken critic of COVID-19 restrictions and mask mandates since the start of the pandemic.

In a tweet, Goodman thanked the police department and other first responders for keeping people safe and encouraged them to celebrate the holiday responsibly. 

We are gearing up for America’s Party as we ring in 2022. Thank you to @LVMPD & all our first responders for keeping us safe, and please make sure that you are having fun responsibly for New Year’s.

— Carolyn G. Goodman (@mayoroflasvegas) December 29, 2021

New York, London and Paris have all notably either canceled or scaled back their annual New Year’s Eve celebrations in an attempt to mitigate risk from the omicron variant, which is running rampant across the globe.

Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, has a 14-day positivity rate of about 10 percent, and the World Health Organization recommends that for relaxed measures to be in place, there should be a 5 percent or lower positivity rate, reports the AP.

About 56 percent of people in Las Vegas are fully vaccinated, according to the Southern Nevada Health District.