More than a dozen hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip will shutter temporarily to control spread of coronavirus

• All Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts International hotels and casinos in Las Vegas will be closed starting Tuesday.
• MGM's world-famous properties include Aria, Bellagio, Excalibur, Luxor, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, New York-New York, and others.
• "It is now apparent that this is a public health crisis that requires major collective action if we are to slow its progression," said Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts.
• Wynn Las Vegas and Encore will be shuttered for at least two weeks, during which all full-time employees will still be paid.
• Popular shows, including Cirque du Soleil and David Copperfield, have also called off upcoming performances.
• Las Vegas Sands Corporation, which operates the Venetian and Palazzo, does not yet plan to close the doors to its properties.
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Over a dozen major resorts along the Las Ves Vegas Strip will shut their doors Tuesday as the coronavirus pandemic escalates.

The unprecedented move comes as the global coronavirus caseload exceeded 169,000 on Monday. Of those, at least 3,774 patients and 69 deaths have been reported in the United States. The actual number of cases is likely much higher, as testing in the United States continues to lag.

Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts International announced Sunday that all of their Vegas properties will be closed temporarily.

MGM's 13 properties include Aria, Bellagio, Excalibur, Luxor, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, NoMad, New York-New York, Vdara and more.

"Despite our commitment to dedicating additional resources for cleaning and promoting good health, while making difficult decisions to close certain aspects of our operations, it is now apparent that this is a public health crisis that requires major collective action if we are to slow its progression," Jim Murren, chairman and CEO of MGM Resorts said in a statement.

The casinos will be closed from Monday followed by the hotels' operations on Tuesday "for the good of our employees, guests, and communities" and will resume business when it's been deemed safe to do so, Murren said. "This is a time of uncertainty across our country and the globe and we must all do our part to curtail the spread of this virus."

Travel to the entertainment and gambling hotspot has dwindled, and well-known shows, including Cirque du Soleil and David Copperfield, have also called off upcoming performances, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Wynn Las Vegas and Encore will shut their doors at 6 p.m. Tuesday for at least two weeks, the company said on Twitter. At that time, the company will make a decision based on the status of the coronavirus pandemic.

Apologizing for the "disruption," company officials said on Twitter that they'd made "this difficult decision in order to keep you and our employees healthy and safe." The company plans to pay all full-time employees during the closure.

According to the Reno Gazette Journal, Wynn CEO Matt Maddox shared a video with employees in which he said, "Based on what we're seeing, our business volumes are going to be basically empty over the next few weeks. Our hotel occupancy will be in the low teens - and that, to me, is not our concern. What our concern is that we all get through this together."

Las Vegas Sands Corporation, which operates the Venetian and Palazzo, announced on Sunday that it is not closing the doors to its properties. There are no impending layoffs or changes to employees' health care, FOX affiliate, KVVU-TV said.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has decided to close all K-12 schools statewide through at least April 6, so Las Vegas Sands said it plans to work with its team to help employees impacted by the school closures.

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