Mask mandate catching on with Las Vegas Strip visitors

The newly mandated mask policy in Nevada seemed to be grasped quickly Saturday by those visiting the Las Vegas Strip.

Patrons at The Cosmopolitan, MGM Grand, Bellagio and New York-New York seemed to get the message being pushed by the state, various casino entities, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and others across the valley.

All of the casinos had signage in and around the gaming floor and in parking garages and played messages on speakers announcing the statewide mask requirement that went into effect Friday.

Miguel Ruiz from Santa Barbara, California, noted the effectiveness of the safety message being pushed in the area.

“Vegas is doing a good job,” said Ruiz, who was in Las Vegas with his family. “Almost everyone has a mask, there’s sanitizer stations and other stuff like that. I feel safe.”

The Ruiz family members were all wearing masks as they walked outside in front of the Showcase mall next to the MGM Grand, with the majority of the crowd opting not to wear them once they stepped outside of a casino or business.

Jason and Tiffany Bennett from Eugene, Oregon, said they question the effectiveness of wearing a mask, but were happy to wear one to make others around them feel more comfortable.

“I’m thankful that you’re (Las Vegas) open back up and if you say put a mask on and you get to come in and enjoy it, I’ll gladly do it,” Jason Bennett said. “If it makes you feel better that I’ve got a mask on, I’ll do it. It doesn’t hurt my feelings whatsoever.”

Tiffany Bennett said the masks can be a little uncomfortable at times, especially in the heat, and you can see that around the casino floor. Some guests are improperly wearing the face coverings, having them hang to the side of their ear or draped under their chin revealing their nose and mouth.

“So although everyone is technically wearing a mask, they aren’t doing so properly,” Tiffany Bennett said. “So it kind of seems like a moot point.”

The couple have been to Las Vegas several times, and having to wear a face covering didn’t really take any fun out of their visit. One thing that did is that some of the features outside of gaming that Las Vegas is known for, such as buffets and shows, weren’t an option.

“It is kind of a bummer that a lot of the stuff is shut down,” Tiffany Bennett said. “The shows and stuff like that, because we’re used to getting to have that experience, too. But it is what it is.”

At the Bellagio on Saturday, most patrons were following the mandate to wear masks in public, though some wore them incorrectly.

The conservatory was crowded with people in masks waiting in line to walk through the flower display. Though most wore masks, the crowd seemed to ignore the social distancing markers placed on the ground to separate people in line.

In the casino, nearly everyone was wearing masks in the early afternoon, but many had theirs around their chin or dangling from an ear while they talked to a companion or sipped a drink.

Shortly after noon, a group of three not wearing masks walked through the casino toward the guest elevators, passing multiple hotel employees along the way before one stopped them and asked that they put on masks.

As with other properties, masks and gloves were made available at multiple hand washing stations throughout the hotel, and guests checking in had their temperatures taken.

The sounds of slot machines ringing at The Strat inspired Mary Labrado to wear her mask.

“I’m for it as long as we come together as a community,” the 22-year-old east Las Vegas resident said Saturday evening. “If we want Vegas to stay open, we have to wear our masks.”

Labrado said she saw staff wandering around enforcing the requirement, and signage was evident.

Nearby, a man was asked to step away from a roulette table when he took off his mask entirely to sip a beer.

Most visitors had no complaints about abiding by the new policy.

“We don’t like it but we understand it, said Maryland resident Alexandrea Shaw, 34.

Next to her sat California resident Dustin Costanza.

“At least everyone we’ve seen has been wearing it,” Costanza said.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writers Amanda Bradford and Sabrina Schnur contributed to this report.