Las Vegas opens up

Coming back f rom quarantine

Mirabelli community center is one of many places in Las Vegas that have opened its doors.

By: Melissa Een

As the world slowly returns to some semblance of normal, Las Vegas is beginning to open up its casinos, movie theatres and schools.

Though quarantine was clearly necessary, many take issue with the way the whole situation has been handled.

“I feel like the necessary steps should have been more strict in the beginning so it didn’t have to last this long,” teacher Katie Patzke said. “I really feel like my motivation has decreased. When I’m busy I like to stay busy and this quarantine has made me slow down and now I feel less motivated.”

After a long quarantine, spanning over a year now, it will be strange to see people out and about again. “We need to get back to some normalcy and opening back up may be a good thing now that we have [Covid-19] vaccines in distribution,” senior Charity Terry said.

The Las Vegas economy has taken a huge hit with the closing of the strip and other tourist attractions, with many people being laid off or getting far fewer hours.

Thus opening up is about more than just social and entertainment opportunities, it’s about people finally being able to get back into well-paying jobs.

The first things to open should be “restaurants, bars, and casinos because they are the major employers,” Spanish teacher Patrick Herbert said. Then as time goes on, other businesses can re-open again.

Re-opening should be kept as safe as possible, with precautions like capacity limits, social distancing, masks, temperature checks, Covid-19 tests or proof of vaccination enforced

Melissa Een //EOTT

to assure the risk of the virus spreading is kept to a minimum. Even when Las Vegas is fully operational and the Covid-19 virus is no longer a pressing issue, the effects of this quarantine will continue to affect us, both as a global community and as people.

“I’m definitely more uncomfortable with germs these days and think about how other’s proximity affects me,” Patzke said.

This pandemic has changed the way we see personal space and high-traffic public places.

“People will be apprehensive in general in terms of physical proximity on a more regular basis,” Herbert said.

It is exciting and amazing to be able to get out of the house and interact with people, just be sure to be smart, be safe, and keep smiling.