Question of the Day - 09 June 2020

We've already seen that the casinos aren't going to bother to enforce social distancing and capacity "guidelines," and that customers aren't even going to try to obey them--and authorities won't try to enforce them, either.

But people are going to be wary of crowding into a cramped, smoky room with hundreds of other folks. And since shows have always been peripheral to what Vegas casinos do best--take people's money--I think we'll see almost all of them dark through the end of the year at least. Some will never return at all.

And of course, Nevada's gummint may have any of a variety of reactions when the next wave of infections, caused by this stupid and premature "opening up," hits.

Big charade, if they were so worried about our health in the casino's smoking would be the first to go bye bye.

The question concerns shows/showrooms.  In recent memory smoking has not been permitted in showrooms.  

EVERY room in a casino is smoky, even if smoking is ostensibly forbidden in such an area. The shit circulates. Anybody who's played slots or VP in a "designated non-smoking area" knows how true that is.

But regardless of smoke considerations, a Vegas show is an almost perfect incubator for coronavirus transmission, and even if there was enough demand to make resuming shows worthwhile, it would be criminally irresponsible for the casinos to do so. The customers, of course, cannot be relied upon to act in their own interests health-wise; after all, if they were conscientious, they wouldn't be in a casino during a pandemic at all.

I hope Le Reve makes a come back. It is my favorite show anywhere. I see it every time I am in Vegas.

Kevin has it right. There will be no real enforcement of social anything.  Not sure if masks really do anything, but maybe protect others.  My worry is that most compulsive gamblers will go play regardless if they have symptoms or not, or if tested positive and unsympathetic. They will still go play.  They may care if they infect others, but the urge to gamble will be too much for them to overcome, so they will come over to the casino's.  Those are the people I am worried about.  Those are the people the workers should worry about.  Almost all other people will take precautions, wear masks, and would not go if infected, symptomatic or not.  That is my worry.  That is why I will wait to see, if there is contact tracing, and if the infection rate goes up.  Maybe later in the year.  AS for smoking, it should be banned, and now is the time to do it.
  

The antisocial 6 foot rule doesn't apply to race protests and riots. All shows should now be designated as "protests" and you're golden. No antisocial/social distance rules will apply!

In Germany and a few other places in Europe many theaters have reopened to satisfy demand for shows and give performers their jobs back, but they made drastic changes to the seating. Each row of seats has the two rows in front of it and the 2 rows behind it blocked off and not used. In each row there are 2 adjacent seats for use, then the next 2 seats in the row are blocked off for safety spacing, then the next 2 seats are for use, etc. This results in 2 empty seats between each pair of seats that are used. This limits the total number of people that can attend the performance to about one-third of the usual maximum amount. But at least they can have shows and keep people spaced the recommended 6 feet apart. Some theaters have physically removed the seats not meant to be used instead of blocking them off with tape or signs because people would move into the forbidden seats to sit in larger groups and the government was fining the theater for non-compliance.