BY JOSH RESNEK
When exactly the Encore Boston Harbor in our city is going to reopen is anyone’s guess.
If the Coronavirus remains under control in Massachusetts, it seems likely the Encore might be able to open up before the end of the summer or maybe even in July, according to state officials.
How that reopening will look and how it will take shape and form from top to bottom from outside to inside the hotel to gaming tables to restaurants is being worked on by experts hired by Wynn Resorts.
The New York Times published an article Monday detailing efforts being made in Las Vegas by Wynn Resorts and MGM that revealed the extra-human and scientific/medical hygiene efforts to make Las Vegas safe for visitors.
The reopening of the Strip in Las Vegas is underway.
Great crowds have not yet materialized.
Governor Steve Sisolak says he is confident that” every possible precaution” has been taken to ensure that the famed resorts can both serve guests and protect public health, the NYT’s reported.
Not many are flying to Las Vegas with their families or attending business conventions and symposiums that could draw as many as 1000-2000.
As Nevada goes where Massachusetts will soon follow, dealers and players are now separated by Plexiglas, dice are doused with in sanitizer after every throw, and guests, encouraged though not required to wear masks, are subject to mandatory temperature checks.
“I don’t think you’ll find a safer place than Las Vegas,” the governor told the NYT ‘s during a recent call.
But he added that he is closely tracking the state’s case numbers and will “pull back if it causes any type of problem.”
The same is expected here from Governor Charlie Baker, who is keeping a close handle on Coronavirus tracking here and testing.
The contact tracing challenges in Las Vegas for the casinos is the same as it will be here at the Encore. The challenge is considered extreme.
One person can go into a casino and infect 200 people, epidemiologists claim. Any place with that many visitors is a challenge, they say.
Last year 42.5 million visitors flocked to Las Vegas.
During its first nine months, Encore in Everett served thousands of drinks and meals to hundreds of thousands of visitors who came and who gambled as well.
Gamblers hop from table to table, from game to game.
The mega casinos like Encore are considered cruise ships on land by industry commentators.
Encore will likely require all employees to be tested. Those who come down with the virus will be traced as well.
Everything, officials say, is being done comprehensively because the last thing they want after reopening is to have to shut down again.