Officials advise wearing masks in Vegas as COVID cases rise

Masks are back in Las Vegas, where a rising number of coronavirus cases has health officials advising everyone — vaccinated or not — to wear facial coverings in crowded indoor places

LAS VEGAS -- Masks are back in Las Vegas, after regional health officials on Friday cited a rising number of coronavirus cases and advised everyone — vaccinated or not — to wear facial coverings in crowded indoor places. The recommendation from the Southern Nevada Health District isn’t a requirement. But it affects casinos, concerts and clubs where business has boomed since restrictions were lifted and the state fully returned pandemic control measures to counties about seven weeks ago. “Both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals should wear masks when they are in crowded public settings ... such as grocery stores, malls, large events and casinos," Dr. Fermin Leguen, the region's chief health officer, told reporters. He said the district doesn't have the authority to make masks mandatory, leaving that question to the state, county and cities.