Viva Las Vegas: Wynn, Encore casinos can run at 100% capacity

Wynn said it can reopen because 88% of employees have been vaccinated.

May 4, 2021, 12:43 PM

Viva Las Vegas!

The gaming areas at Wynn and Encore are now open at 100% occupancy and plexiglass dividers are no longer needed, Wynn Resorts announced on Monday.

Wynn Resorts said it was granted permission by the Nevada Gaming Control Board to amend its occupancy and physical distancing rules because 88% of Wynn employees had been vaccinated as of May 1.

PHOTO: An exterior view shows Encore Las Vegas and Wynn Las Vegas on March 15, 2020 in Las Vegas.
An exterior view shows Encore Las Vegas and Wynn Las Vegas on March 15, 2020 in Las Vegas.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images, FILE

The Nevada Gaming Control Board declined to comment to ABC News on Wynn's changes, but the board had said it would accept requests waiving occupancy limits until April 27. Requests needed to "demonstrate the licensee’s measurable and material steps to vaccinate its workforce," the board said.

Wynn said in a statement, "Our employees and guests will continue to follow health and safety guidelines, including mask compliance, to ensure a safe and comfortable environment."

The Wynn employees' vaccination rate is nearly double Clark County's (which encompasses Las Vegas). As of Friday, 46.5% of the eligible population had received at least one shot, county officials said.

PHOTO: Pedestrians walk along the Linq Promenade shopping area in Las Vegas,  May 1, 2020.
Pedestrians walk along the Linq Promenade shopping area in Las Vegas, May 1, 2020.
Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE
PHOTO: Tourists wait in line to take photographs with the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign in Las Vegas, May 1, 2020.
Tourists wait in line to take photographs with the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign in Las Vegas, May 1, 2020.
Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE

Las Vegas nightclubs and adult entertainment venues were permitted to reopen on May 1, county officials said. Public gatherings were relaxed May 1 to 80% capacity and social distancing requirements lessened from 6 feet to 3 feet, county officials said.

The county said capacity and social distancing rules will end when 60% of the eligible population has at least one vaccine dose.