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What Happens in Vegas if No One Stays in Vegas? What Happens in Vegas if No One Stays in Vegas?
(8 days later)
This week, thousands of people will travel to Las Vegas for business conferences. The annual South by Southwest festival in Austin, Tex., is scheduled for this month.This week, thousands of people will travel to Las Vegas for business conferences. The annual South by Southwest festival in Austin, Tex., is scheduled for this month.
After that comes spring break, summer vacation, the Olympics in Japan.After that comes spring break, summer vacation, the Olympics in Japan.
When the coronavirus first broke out in China in January, the disruption to the hospitality industry — and the broader travel sector — seemed confined to people going to and from the country. But as the outbreak has spread to Europe and the United States, the impact has widened and companies that rely on world travelers for business and pleasure are struggling to predict exactly how it will ultimately affect them.When the coronavirus first broke out in China in January, the disruption to the hospitality industry — and the broader travel sector — seemed confined to people going to and from the country. But as the outbreak has spread to Europe and the United States, the impact has widened and companies that rely on world travelers for business and pleasure are struggling to predict exactly how it will ultimately affect them.
Hyatt Hotels, for instance, withdrew its financial guidance for the year on Monday because of “quickly changing circumstances and uncertain consumer demand for travel,” said Mark S. Hoplamazian, Hyatt’s president and chief executive.Hyatt Hotels, for instance, withdrew its financial guidance for the year on Monday because of “quickly changing circumstances and uncertain consumer demand for travel,” said Mark S. Hoplamazian, Hyatt’s president and chief executive.
As more corporations impose restrictions on nonessential business travel and the public stays put, conferences, hotels and others are grappling with how to contend with escalating coronavirus fears.As more corporations impose restrictions on nonessential business travel and the public stays put, conferences, hotels and others are grappling with how to contend with escalating coronavirus fears.
Analysts say most companies in the lodging, gambling or leisure industries, including cruise ship lines and amusement parks, know they will take a near-term hit to revenues, but have little idea of what will happen in the summer or beyond.Analysts say most companies in the lodging, gambling or leisure industries, including cruise ship lines and amusement parks, know they will take a near-term hit to revenues, but have little idea of what will happen in the summer or beyond.
Nervous investors are bracing for the worst, driving down stocks of cruise ship lines by a third. The stocks of hotel chains like Hyatt, Marriott International and InterContinental Hotels Group have tumbled more than 16 percent this year, compared with declines of 5 percent in the broader market.Nervous investors are bracing for the worst, driving down stocks of cruise ship lines by a third. The stocks of hotel chains like Hyatt, Marriott International and InterContinental Hotels Group have tumbled more than 16 percent this year, compared with declines of 5 percent in the broader market.
“It would not surprise me to see other companies rescind or revoke guidance that they provided in the fourth-quarter earnings season,” said Bill Crow, a hotel analyst at Raymond James Financial. “The focus largely at that point was on China and what would happen to hotels in China. Now this has become a big domestic issue and we’re seeing cancellation after cancellation of major conferences.”“It would not surprise me to see other companies rescind or revoke guidance that they provided in the fourth-quarter earnings season,” said Bill Crow, a hotel analyst at Raymond James Financial. “The focus largely at that point was on China and what would happen to hotels in China. Now this has become a big domestic issue and we’re seeing cancellation after cancellation of major conferences.”
Mr. Crow noted that conferences and other group events are a big business, making up about a third of the revenues for hotel chains, with another third coming via vacationers.Mr. Crow noted that conferences and other group events are a big business, making up about a third of the revenues for hotel chains, with another third coming via vacationers.
Many conference organizers seem determined to go forward, but are enacting a variety of screenings and rules.Many conference organizers seem determined to go forward, but are enacting a variety of screenings and rules.
SaaStr, a business-software conference set for next week in San Jose, Calif., said it would bar any residents of the most affected countries — China, South Korea, Italy and Iran — as well as anyone who has visited those places in the past 60 days. All attendees will need to show a U.S. driver’s license or a passport to enter. Citizens of China, South Korea, Italy and Iran will also be subject to additional screening, organizers said, including passport checks to ensure they haven’t recently visited their home countries.SaaStr, a business-software conference set for next week in San Jose, Calif., said it would bar any residents of the most affected countries — China, South Korea, Italy and Iran — as well as anyone who has visited those places in the past 60 days. All attendees will need to show a U.S. driver’s license or a passport to enter. Citizens of China, South Korea, Italy and Iran will also be subject to additional screening, organizers said, including passport checks to ensure they haven’t recently visited their home countries.
Organizers plan to check all attendees’ temperatures via “passive scanning.” They also banned handshakes and mandated that attendees wash their hands before each session. “This may create some lines,” the organizers said. “Our apologies.”Organizers plan to check all attendees’ temperatures via “passive scanning.” They also banned handshakes and mandated that attendees wash their hands before each session. “This may create some lines,” the organizers said. “Our apologies.”
Attendees of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference in Orlando, Fla., next week are being told to tap elbows rather than shake hands. Attendees can also get medical-grade face masks at information booths.Attendees of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference in Orlando, Fla., next week are being told to tap elbows rather than shake hands. Attendees can also get medical-grade face masks at information booths.
Facebook, Twitter and Intel have said their employees will not attend South by Southwest, but organizers insisted on Tuesday that next week’s festival will go on.Facebook, Twitter and Intel have said their employees will not attend South by Southwest, but organizers insisted on Tuesday that next week’s festival will go on.
Travel restrictions resulted in some cancellations by would-be attendees from China, Italy, South Korea and Japan for an international construction trade show set to start next week in Las Vegas, but organizers say registration numbers are still up from when the show last occurred three years ago. As part of their efforts to keep the more than 130,000 people expected to attend healthy, conference organizers say they will be distributing buttons or stickers that say “no handshakes.”Travel restrictions resulted in some cancellations by would-be attendees from China, Italy, South Korea and Japan for an international construction trade show set to start next week in Las Vegas, but organizers say registration numbers are still up from when the show last occurred three years ago. As part of their efforts to keep the more than 130,000 people expected to attend healthy, conference organizers say they will be distributing buttons or stickers that say “no handshakes.”
Other conferences, facing cancellations or nervous attendees, are pulling the plug.Other conferences, facing cancellations or nervous attendees, are pulling the plug.
Mobile World Congress, a major trade show that draws tens of thousands of people from technology, telecommunications and advertising companies each year, canceled its event in Barcelona last month, after companies pulled out based on health and safety concerns. Google and Facebook each canceled major developer conferences scheduled for May in California. The software company Zendesk called off its Relate conference that was to begin on Tuesday in Miami.Mobile World Congress, a major trade show that draws tens of thousands of people from technology, telecommunications and advertising companies each year, canceled its event in Barcelona last month, after companies pulled out based on health and safety concerns. Google and Facebook each canceled major developer conferences scheduled for May in California. The software company Zendesk called off its Relate conference that was to begin on Tuesday in Miami.
Updated July 7, 2020
The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization.
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
Zendesk said it would donate food and unused carpet to nonprofit organizations and work with a local artist in Miami to “take some of the cardboard signage and repurpose it into a piece of art.”Zendesk said it would donate food and unused carpet to nonprofit organizations and work with a local artist in Miami to “take some of the cardboard signage and repurpose it into a piece of art.”
The Walt Disney Company said early last month that it would lose roughly $175 million in profits this year because of the closure of its parks in China. Its parks in Japan have since closed. And Disney has not said how attendance at Disneyland Paris, which has two separate parks with combined annual attendance of 15 million, has been affected as France has started to ban public gatherings in some areas around Paris in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. The parks are part of a business unit inside Disney that makes up 38 percent of its total revenues and 46 percent of its profits.The Walt Disney Company said early last month that it would lose roughly $175 million in profits this year because of the closure of its parks in China. Its parks in Japan have since closed. And Disney has not said how attendance at Disneyland Paris, which has two separate parks with combined annual attendance of 15 million, has been affected as France has started to ban public gatherings in some areas around Paris in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. The parks are part of a business unit inside Disney that makes up 38 percent of its total revenues and 46 percent of its profits.
One city that is anxiously watching the spread of the virus is Las Vegas. Last year, more than 6.6 million, or 15.5 percent, of the 42.5 million visitors to Las Vegas were there for conferences, according to data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.One city that is anxiously watching the spread of the virus is Las Vegas. Last year, more than 6.6 million, or 15.5 percent, of the 42.5 million visitors to Las Vegas were there for conferences, according to data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
Stocks of the gambling companies Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands are already each down more than 20 percent this year, largely owing to the closure of their enormous casino operations in Macau for two weeks.Stocks of the gambling companies Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands are already each down more than 20 percent this year, largely owing to the closure of their enormous casino operations in Macau for two weeks.
Las Vegas lost its first big conference late Monday when Adobe Systems canceled its annual event that was going to bring 20,000 visitors to hear headline speakers like the actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow, the New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the comedian Chelsea Handler, along with chief executives and top officials from numerous companies. Adobe said it planned to host portions of the event online.Las Vegas lost its first big conference late Monday when Adobe Systems canceled its annual event that was going to bring 20,000 visitors to hear headline speakers like the actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow, the New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and the comedian Chelsea Handler, along with chief executives and top officials from numerous companies. Adobe said it planned to host portions of the event online.
“Vegas is the biggest unknown right now,” said Steven Wieczynski, a gambling and leisure analyst at the financial services firm Stifel Financial. “If the coronavirus continues to linger and stays in the news, more conventions and group trips will get canceled. That’s what Vegas is known for right now.”“Vegas is the biggest unknown right now,” said Steven Wieczynski, a gambling and leisure analyst at the financial services firm Stifel Financial. “If the coronavirus continues to linger and stays in the news, more conventions and group trips will get canceled. That’s what Vegas is known for right now.”
Sapna Maheshwari, Jack Nicas and Brooks Barnes contributed reporting.Sapna Maheshwari, Jack Nicas and Brooks Barnes contributed reporting.