98% of COVID-19 Tests for Wynn Resorts Staff Come Back Negative

  • About 300 of almost 17,000 workers have tested positive to date
  • Casino company conducts 500 to 600 random tests every couple of weeks
  • Las Vegas properties reopened early June, followed by Massachusetts casino on July 12
  • Business at Wynn's three Macau casinos hampered by extensive travel restrictions
  • Q2 report shows a year-on-year revenue drop of almost 95%, with $638m net loss
medical professional wearing PPE and holding a COVID-19 swab test
Only 2% of tests conducted among approximately 17,000 Wynn Resorts employees came back positive. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Extensive testing company-wide

Wynn Resorts has tested almost 17,000 employees to date, resulting in a negative test rate of approximately 98%. About 300 workers tested positive since the casino company began its COVID-19 testing procedures.

about 300 workers tested positive

Wynn Resorts released the figures on Tuesday as part of its second-quarter report. CEO Matt Maddox said there are ten contact tracers employed by the company, who have determined that 99% of all positive coronavirus cases to date were contracted outside of the resorts. 

Maddox detailed how he sits down with the head of global health security and pandemic research from Georgetown University and her team every week. Together they review the company’s protocols and discuss potential changes that may be needed. Maddox said: “Just last week, talking about these numbers, her response was, ‘Wynn is probably the safest place outside of home that your employees and customers go during the day.’”

probably the safest place outside of home”

As well as testing every employee before Wynn properties reopened, the company developed an algorithm that is able to surveil its staff. It randomly tests 500 to 600 people every couple of weeks. 

Resuming business activity

Sin City’s Wynn Las Vegas and Encore at Wynn Las Vegas both reopened in early June after being closed since March 17 because of the pandemic. Both properties were getting about 4,000 reservations each day after initially reopening at limited capacity. However, as COVID-19 cases rose significantly in Arizona and California, reservations fell by 25% after the July 4 holiday.

The Encore Boston Harbor in Massachusetts reopened July 12. There are significant restrictions in place still at this facility, such as the state’s regulatory bodies not allowing any craps or roulette games in casinos.

Wynn’s three casinos in Macau have been hampered for some time by extensive travel restrictions. The facilities closed for 15 days in February but have been open ever since. The border controls between the nearby Guangdong province in mainland China and Macau have been eased, but travel to and from Hong Kong remains limited. 

Extensive health and safety protocols are exercised at each of these properties, in addition to the company’s COVID-19 testing regime.

Wynn’s latest financial figures

Wynn Resorts saw its year-on-year revenue drop by almost 95% during the second quarter as the casino sector dealt with extensive shutdowns during the coronavirus outbreak. Revenue fell from $1.66bn to $85.7m for the quarter year-on-year, with Wynn suffering a net loss of $638m. 

revenue drop by almost 95%

The company was paying all of its 30,000 workers while the properties were closed through the end of May. Some staff were furloughed last month owing to decreased demand at Wynn’s casino resort facilities.

Speaking about these latest results during the Q2 2020 earnings call, CEO Maddox said: “When this is over, and we come out, we want to make sure that we have the capital available to grow, and we have the culture in place to take care of our people and our customers.”

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