What Happens in Vegas if No One Stays in Vegas?

"When everything around you is crazy, it is ingenious to stay calm." Mehmet Murat Ildan

Trump supporters are avoiding Corona Beer...just in case.

Coronavirus could last for years. If we close schools, movie theaters or Las Vegas, when will they reopen? Thousands of Americans died on 9/11 and for a while Islamaphobia shut down public spaces. Coronavirus has killed fewer than a dozen Americans, but the same panic is setting in.

I doubt the patrons of Vegas are going to stop going. There are a lot of things you can catch in Vegas, and the corona virus is not even the scariest. Remember, these are people who know the odds are against them yet they keep on gambling. They think they will be the lucky one. Pretty sure they think they won't get the virus even if the odds are not good.

A true "visionary," US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross said the deadly coronavirus outbreak in China could be positive for the American economy. During a TV interview Mr Ross said: "I think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to North America". I wonder if Americans understand just how incompetent each cabinet member of this administration is.

One good virus deserves another... Viruses and bacterium are tiny, infinitesimal, minuscule life forms. Who said my pal, God, didn't have a sense of humor when he wrote in Matthew 5.5 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." Maybe he was talking about viruses and bacterium, not humble, meek little humans. Did you read about the protein molecules found on meteors recently? Like intergalactic spermatozoa, asteroids and meteorites fertilize planets when and if they become fertile. Earth became fertile. Now, 600 million years later, humanity, like a deadly virus, has quickly spread across its planet killing every life form in its path, for profit. I've seen this happen on hundreds of thousands of planets throughout the universe. Few 'planet dominating species' survive. The beast within them, 600 million years of genetic competition, compels their pathway through time. Typically, they over-populate, destroy their habitat, each other, and disappear forever while their planet slowly starts over. Very few planet dominating species find their way into the Universe. Very few of those survive. Time is running out for humanity. I am saddened. I had hoped humanity would find their path to the stars. They have imagined it but fail to honor it. Kind Regards and Best Wishes, The Grand Exalted Ruler of The Universe (Also known as: HoodooVoodooBlood)

Someone should get a raise for that headline.

Better article headline - "What Happens In Vegas Doesn't Stay In Vegas."

People, such as myself, who commuted every day on the IRT/7th Ave. are now leery of crowds? There are crowds in the subways, Grand Central and Penn Station and in every retail store in the City. What bullet does one dodge by avoiding a crowd at a resort hotel? Cable news networks drive this panic and the economy suffers because citizens who, as I once did, pack themselves into the Staten Island Ferry, cancel routine conferences and vacations. We have become such a silly people.

Jazz Fest in New Orleans. 500,000 attendees last year from all over the world in a racetrack for 8 days. A city that relies on tourism. We better join Pence in prayer as that seems to be what Louisiana has come up with so far. They simply can’t afford to cancel these kind of events. The economy depends on it. Hope I’m wrong.

Airline change fees should be illegal for public health reasons. Coronavirus aside, how many people travel when they are sick because it would be prohibitively expensive to cancel or reschedule? How much disease is spread over long distances because of this?

As insightful New York Times readers have pointed out, we need to dust of the history books and implement limits on travel as they did during the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918. My goodness, that took place during the more decorous era of train travel. Do many really want the person-to-person exposure to contagion on top of the filthy air and inhumane cramped seating of an airline cabin now? Services will be affected. Especially travel. You have to think that in 2020 our big time professional and college sports will be severely affected. What are we gonna see at the Final Four? The pep band playing through surgical masks? Or as we saw last week in Italian football, teams playing in an empty stadium? You gotta wonder how many companies in the travel business are highly leveraged and run on credit? As in 2007, 2008, 2009 we could see a cascade of bankruptcies. Oh, I forgot. That was President Obama's fault. Well, now the ball is in Trump's court.

We were planning a trip to Texas next month, but decided against it due to potential exposure at airports.

Walking through the casinos and on the strip, the streets and casinos are packed with tourist. Without the coronavirus looming, I worried about germs and diseases. If cases break out in Las Vegas (large foreign populations live here with an international airport), I suspect the streets will empty out. Nevadans are very aware that if the coronavirus is detected, things will change quickly and not for the better. It's really not if the coronavirus is detected, it's just when. And I agree with another poster, we have the worst medical care in Las Vegas plus a shortage of qualified doctors. I don't know how Las Vegas could adequately or safely manage an coronavirus out break. I doubt we could.

This week , the international housewares convention was cancelled in Chicago. This is annual trade show that brings close to 60,000 visitors to McCormick Place each year who's visitors rent 47,000 hotel rooms. Obviously the ripple effect of this cancellation will be huge in all areas of Chicago's economy from Hotels to Ubers and restaurants and the Union workers who set up and take down the exhibits. Other conventions are scheduled later in the month . What happens if they are cancelled ? MLB's season starts in about a month. What happens if crowds at Wrigley field that are normally 40,000+ , are cut in half or more due to fear of being in crowds ? This is the type of reduced economic activity everyone is facing. Then there are the reduced local tax revenues which will hit Illinois and Chicago hard at a time when both governments are deep in debt.

The president and vice-president should make hotel stays at their rallies across the country to assure people of the safety of travel and overnight stays (if that is what the really believe).

With average attendance of approximately 15,000 the American Educational Research Association is, "examining hourly ongoing developments in the coronavirus spread and appropriate precautions within the United States and worldwide. Consultation has occurred with top city and venue officials in San Francisco and will continue in the immediate days ahead. Please know that the health and well-being of meeting attendees, meeting venue and AERA staffs, city services personnel, and the people of the great city of San Francisco are our first priority as we assess our options and how best to proceed. AERA will continue to update association members and meeting registrants as we assess the situation and learn more in the immediate days ahead. We are also working closely with the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), as NCME holds its annual meeting in partnership with AERA’s annual event."

Vegas is in trouble. Business in Macau is down 85% due to the virus. There is no way the Olympics should be held this year. Delay it until next year.

The virus will level off and decline, then the travel, the trade shows and the conferences will go on. But what about the cruise lines and their ships? We've already seen how these boats can function as giant petri dishes with breakouts of other illnesses. Now, we have the current example, with ships being quarantined, and passengers being exposed to a potentially serious illness just because they took the wrong ship at a bad time. I'm aware that there are many varieties of cruise ships and cruises, but who would ever want to get on one of those giant cruise ships ever again?

All conferences, sports events and other events should be cancelled, worldwide. At this stage, encouraging people to travel anywhere is criminal stupidity.

Our industry's big event, Natural Products Expo West, was postponed on Monday night, with a start date of today, March 4th. We are a small food company, and our loss will be about $20,000. Multiply that by the 3600 exhibitors who were all ready to go, the hotels, restaurants, car rentals, etc. that will not happen, and the business deals that will not be made at the show. Big problem.

Con-Expo is next week in Las Vegas. It's the second largest convention behind the consumer electronics show. It averages almost 125,000 attendees. I am supposed to have about 50 employees attend next week. Pretty sure we are going to cancel our attendance. I know others plan to do the same. Better safe than sorry, have to make the right call for my people!

The issue isn't so much trade shows as it is air travel. Airplanes might turn out to be incubators from those passengers that are infected, but don't know it. And then, those visitors depart from McCarren and head to the Las Vegas Convention Center and area hotels. Interesting though - The Consumer Electronics Show in January, one of the largest in the world, took place as the coronavirus outbreak was spreading in China, and Chinese companies make up a substantial percentage of exhibitors at the show. Yet, there weren't any reported cases after the show - at least, none that we know of. A lot can change in a month. Let's see how things look in Vegas in early April.

Restricting the coming and going of people to Las Vegas could turn into a real disaster. Who would pay the bill? As a former resident, I see the place as a desert island, not overly blessed with first rate medical facilities.

And the Fed's rate cut will help this how?

Without all those planes flying, we'll have lower carbon emissions. I can live with that.

Now is the time to brush up on what was successfully implemented during the last massive pandemic, the Spanish Flu. The municipalities that were most successful at containing the disease and those with the lowest infection and death rates were those that got out ahead of the virus by banning large gatherings, closing schools and churches, and encouraging people to stay home. We really need to have our medical historians at the forefront here to help us to understand what the best response is to this type of situation. Let's not be doomed to repeat the past because we have forgotten it.

The number of people being "watched" would be useful. And then there are the large number of snow birds returning from Florida, the Carolinas, etc. where outbreaks may exist (no testing so who knows). We are all going to get this, when, where, and how badly remains the issue as does how being quarantined might impact us.

No mentioned here was this Major Election year. Hello? Large group rallies, whistle stop tours, huge party convention a few months away featuring delegates from every state by design. Not to mention huge long voter lines (thanks red States for closing down a combined 1000's of polling places). If you're not going to travel for work, go on vacation, attend a Film/Music festival in Austin, take a cruise, go to Vegas, then will you do all of that to attend a rally or party convention and even fear voting at a busy polling place? Might want to look into voting absentee now just in case.

Tourism is an obvious casualty to disease. Las Vegas might as well run up the Yellow Jack. I would strenuously object to any employer who suggested I attend a large conference this year. There might be a vaccine in time for next year's conference. We can reopen the conversation then. For the moment though, forget about it. There's nothing at a trade show that can't wait a year. I feel the same way about most leisure travel too. Vacation plans are extremely anemic right now. How do you feel about hammocks in the backyard? Pandemic is a great opportunity to finally finish reading Ulysses. We have the Odyssey too in case you're interested. That's about the extent of it. Maybe some mild gardening. I'm sure there's some plant you've neglected for far too long. Avoid unnecessary travel. I'm sorry. That stinks. I hope you bought travel insurance. Hotels will just have to eat the cost of low occupancy. Grasshopper and the ant. Who was saving during times of plenty? You should maybe spend those dollars lobbying health organizations to get that vaccine out in a hurry. Like 3 months ago.

My wife and I were planning to go to Oregon this summer, now we’re not so sure. We have a wedding early summer in Canada, once again we’re uncertain about going. I keep reading that my beloved World Series of Poker may be cancelled due to the fact that many participants will be barred entry into the US depending on their port of origin. I can say with surety that this contagion has created a world of uncertainty.

Here’s a clue: for the first time in 15 years, we are NOT planning a Spring/early Summer Vacation to Seattle. We usually go then, and in Early December, for my Birthday. Each week long trip: flights, Hotel, Food/Drinks in nice Restaurants, admissions fees, and Shopping. Total Cost: Five to Seven Thousand Dollars, average. It’s been twice that, when we take our Daughter and two Granddaughters. This is a direct loss of discretionary spending, especially to their local Economy. I’m sorry, but I must WAIT and see how bad this will get. And in the meantime, stock up at Home. Now, multiply this by Millions.

Paradox. With the exception of Adobe and a few other cancellations, the Vegas Resorts, including off-stirps like The M, as of last night (I am here) are striving. The stocks, like most others, took the fear hit, but the earnings in the future, given the present reality, should not be too negatively effected. Casinos are at this moment crowded. There are lines to get into restaurants and shows. We are as usual, a world onto ourselves, albeit confused why the country appears to panic while the thousands on the Strip seem unafraid. Many are talking about it, they're not oblivious, but the conversations fade into gallows humor. All still stays in Las Vegas, all but the fear of coronavirus. The City if lit and taking no real hit.

The NAB Show in April is another large conference that attracts visitors from overseas, especially Asia where many manufacturers of broadcast and production equipment are headquartered. Last year's attendance was over 90,000 for the 4-day show, plus pre-show conferences. NAB does have a coronavirus update on its home page, and for now, the show is on.