Three leading US casino operators have agreed a new collaboration to provide COVID-19 testing for gaming employees prior to their return to work in Las Vegas.
MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment and Boyd Gaming will all participate in the COVID-19 employee testing plan in partnership with the University Medical Center (UMC), the Culinary Health Fund, and the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Testing is expected to begin tomorrow (Thursday 21 May) and will be conducted at the Las Vegas Convention Center as casinos prepare to reopen in the state.
“The ability to safely reopen our properties has been our singular focus over the past several weeks,” said MGM Resorts acting CEO and president Bill Hornbuckle. “This testing partnership will allow us to provide our employees and guests peace of mind that we are taking the greatest possible precautions to keep them safe.”
Boyd Gaming president and CEO Keith Smith said: “As we prepare to reopen our southern Nevada properties, the health and safety of our customers, our team members and our communities is our utmost priority.
“Through this expansion of our partnership with UMC, we can do our part to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community, and demonstrate our commitment to offering a safe and entertaining environment for everyone.”
Employees called back to work will have to schedule an appointment for their test, with results confirmed within 48 hours of testing. Positive results will be provided to the employee and forwarded to the Southern Nevada Health District for contact tracing.
“Caesars appreciates the gaming industry and union partnership with UMC to test our employees for COVID-19,” said Caesars Entertainment CEO Tony Rodio. “All Caesars employees would complete a pre-screenIng questionnaire and the results would determine the need for a COVID-19 test before returning to work.”
UMC CEO Mason VanHouweling commented: “In response to this unprecedented public health crisis, we have seen an unparalleled level of collaboration between private industry, community leaders and the health care community.
“As a result of the hard work and dedication of our health care professionals on the front lines of this crisis, UMC now has the capacity to run 10,000 COVID-19 tests per day. With valuable support from our community partners, this increased testing capacity allows UMC to detect new cases of COVID-19 and safeguard the health of our friends, neighbors and family members across Southern Nevada.”