Before Nevada begins reopening its major attractions and resorts, the state’s culinary union is demanding casinos meet a list of sanitation guidelines to protect returning workers.
Among the list of demands requested to casinos prior to opening, the union wants 60,000 workers in Nevada tested for the coronavirus before going back to work, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported. The culinary union, whose parent organization is UNITE HERE, is the state’s most powerful union.
Other demands include having an adequate stock of personal protective equipment available for employees at no cost to them, keeping a detailed record of any contact with COVID-19 that occurs, a designated person on shift with a detailed knowledge of best sanitation procedures, and paid leave for employees denied work because of temperatures tested on-site.
For guests, the union asks thermal monitoring of them, as well as PPE, if needed, and strictly enforced social distancing.
Democratic Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak unveiled a plan last month to start to reopen the state slowly as the coronavirus curve flattens, though when casinos can open has not yet been announced.
The Associated Press reports that even when Nevada casinos can open, customer numbers will be cut in half, nightclubs will remain closed, and convention groups will be limited. Gamblers will also have to keep a safe distance apart per new rules from state gambling regulators.
Table games will be limited to three players for blackjack, six for craps, four for roulette, and four for poker.
The gaming industry is Nevada’s biggest employer, largely concentrated in the nation’s entertainment capital, Las Vegas. In 2018, the hospitality industry accounted for 38.9% of the state’s total tax revenues and supported over 450,000 jobs, according to Nevada Business.
Nevada has seen almost 5,500 coronavirus cases and 266 deaths.
