MGM Resorts will temporarily close buffets at all of its casinos on Las Vegas Strip because of coronavirus concerns
- MGM Resorts International will close buffets at Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Luxor and Excalibur and ARIA starting Sunday
- Company said it will re-evaluate the buffet closure every week
- Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman slammed the move, calling it ‘totally wrong’
- Other casino-resorts, including those run by Properties of Caesars Entertainment, will keep buffets open
- As of Wednesday, there were four confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nevada
One of the largest casino operators in Las Vegas, MGM Resorts Intentional, is temporarily closing buffets at all of its properties on the Strip as a precaution over the deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The company announced Tuesday that it will shutter the all-you-can-eat restaurants starting Sunday and re-evaluate the closure every week.
Buffets, where diners pay a flat fee and often serve themselves at various food stands with unlimited proportions, are a signature staple of most casinos in the gambling destination.
MGM Resorts International will close buffets at all its seven casino-resorts on the Las Vegas Strip starting on Sunday as a precaution over the coronavirus outbreak
The sprawling buffet at the Bellagio (pictured) will be closed, along with all-you-can-eat restaurants at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Luxor and Excalibur and ARIA
MGM Resorts says the temporary closure was not recommended by any health officials (buffet at ARIA is pictured above)
MGM said the decision to close buffets at Bellagio, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Luxor and Excalibur and ARIA, was made out of an abundance of caution and was not recommended by any health officials.
‘The safety and health of guests and employees continue to be top priority as the company works with local health officials on protocol and procedures during this time,’ the company said in a statement.
As of Wednesday morning, there were four confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, COVID-19, in Nevada – two in Clark County and two in Washoe County.
As of Wednesday morning, 1,056 people have tested positive for coronavirus across 38 states and 31 people have died
The number of confirmed infections across the US has reached 1,056. The total number of US deaths now stands at 31, with most of them coming from a Washington state care home.
MGM Resorts’ biggest competitor on the Strip, Properties of Caesars Entertainment, announced that its buffets will remain open for business at Caesars Palace, Rio, Paris Las Vegas, Harrah’s, Bally’s, and other casinos, reported USA Today.
‘We are incorporating cleaning and hygiene protocols into the buffets as well as the rest of our operations across the company,’ the company said in a statement.
In a similar fashion, Wynn Las Vegas will be keeping its all-you-can-eat buffet open, but will be assigning staff at each food station to serve diners so they would not have to touch utensils themselves, reported Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Properties of Caesars Entertainment, which operates among other casinos Paris Las Vegas (pictured), said its buffets will stay open
Wynn also said it has placed hand sanitizing stations at the entrance and instructed employees to routinely clean all hard surfaces.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman slammed the leadership at MGM Resorts for shutting down its buffets out of ‘fear,’ calling the move ‘totally wrong.’
She suggested that it would have been sufficient to install larger glass barriers, colloquially known as ‘sneeze guards,’ to protect the food from contamination.
‘This is Vegas,’ Goodman said. ‘This where when you were panicked somewhere else in the world with some problem, it was: “You know – I’m going to take that money, and I’m going to Las Vegas and forget my woes.”‘