Developers of the $4.3 billion Resorts World Las Vegas said Monday a fourth construction worker has tested positive for COVID-19 but stated that work on the Strip project would continue with various safeguards in place.
In a statement, Resort World developers listed 11 different actions currently taking place on the site, all of which have been implemented over the last month since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the cause of COVID-19.
Malaysia-based Genting Berhad owns the 3,300-room resort project, which will be the Strip’s first new mega-resort in over a decade when it opens in 2021. The site has more than 1,500 construction workers.
“In compliance with (Center of Disease Control) guidelines and OSHA safety standards, Resorts World Las Vegas and W.A. Richardson Builders continue to follow and implement maximum preventative policies and procedures to minimize (the) risk of transmission,” Resorts World said in a statement released by its Las Vegas public relations firm.
The company said it was notified Saturday of the positive test.
Resorts World said it had amended construction activity to focus on “critical areas of the job site,” including reducing construction on its hotel tower, “to assist in social distancing compliance.”
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak set social distancing guidelines last month and closed down the state’s casino industry, its schools, and all non-essential businesses in an effort to slow the spread of the pandemic. At the time, Sisolak said home building and other construction projects were “essential” businesses.
Construction has continued at the $2 billion Allegiant Stadium, the privately held Circa Resort in downtown Las Vegas, and the $1.2 billion expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Several construction workers have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 at the Allegiant Stadium site, but there haven’t been any cases reported at the convention center site.
The stadium, home to the Las Vegas Raiders, is expected to be ready by the end of July in time for the scheduled start of the NFL season. The new expansion to the convention center will house the 2021 Consumer Electronics conference and tradeshow in early January.
However, work ceased last month on the $1.66 billion MSG Sphere, an entertainment attraction being built by Madison Square Garden on land owned by Las Vegas Sands. No timetable for a potential re-start was announced.
Resorts World said it has immediately notified and directed any construction crew member who had been in recent close contact with workers who tested positive to stay home and self-isolate for 14 days.
Sections of the Resorts World job site are being temporarily shut down and routinely sanitized, including any area in which a worker who has tested positive was assigned and surrounding areas, including lifts, stairwells, turnstiles and other common areas around the site.
Crew sizes have been reduced, to assist in social distancing, and additional handwashing and sanitation stations have been added.
Nevada’s guidelines on construction during the pandemic require workers to remain 6 feet apart and restrict meetings and gatherings. The health and condition of construction workers is to be monitored daily.
Howard Stutz is the executive editor of CDC Gaming Reports. He can be reached at hstutz@cdcgaming.com. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.
