After months of being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the night-life is returning to two of the biggest party cities in the United States: Las Vegas & Miami. Nevada’s COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force unanimously voted to allow bars to re-open on Sunday the 17th after being shut down once in March and again in July. In Miami, Mayor Carlos Gimenez has announced he plans to re-open bars in the following two weeks, just after he stated that they wouldn’t re-open until a vaccine was available.
For both Las Vegas and Miami, bars will operate at 50% capacity. Moreover, masks are still enforced when walking through the establishments and maintaining a six-foot distance from other patrons. Mayor Gimenez’s decision comes amidst bar owners protesting for the re-opening. Florida’s Secretary of Department of Business and Professional Regulation stated, “They realise they have to get it right this time…They realise they can’t afford another lockdown.” Nevada’s decision to allow bars to re-open comes after close examination of results in which cases dropped from 8.6% to 7.8% between Monday and Thursday of this past week in Clark County (where Las Vegas is).
For many people, these decisions feel a bit too rushed since cases in the United States are still soaring. A significant factor in allowing bars to re-open is the economy. Bars and night-life play a substantial role in cities such as Las Vegas and Miami. Hopefully, they will not have to re-close as the livelihoods of many people are on the line. We will keep you updated with any news regarding the results of the re-opening of both cities.
