Health and Safety

You can't sugarcoat it: the COVID-19 pandemic hit Las Vegas hard. When the pandemic was first declared in March 2020, most of Sin City’s casinos literally shuttered their doors for the first time ever. The city stayed shut down until June 2020, when it opened at reduced capacity. Gradually the place came back to life. By May 2021, Las Vegas was back, though, of course, it was different.

Today Las Vegas has some vestiges of the pandemic. Visitors are still required to wear face coverings while indoors. They are required to stand six feet from each other. Many public-oriented events and happenings are struggling to be themselves with reduced capacity. Some casinos also are still requiring people to stand or sit behind plexiglass barriers when they are playing table games. Enforcement of these rules is not uniform, so you may just have to go with the flow. Ultimately, the fact that some visitors to Las Vegas are taking seriously COVID-19 precautions is a step toward greater public health safety for all of us.

The dry desert air in Las Vegas means that your body will need extra fluids, especially during the punishing summer months. Always drink lots of water even if you're not outside very much. When you're outdoors, wear sunscreen and always carry water with you if you plan a long walk. In the aftermath of COVID-19, always carry a face covering in case you need to wear it when you go indoors.

The well-known areas of Las Vegas are quite safe for visitors. With so many people carrying so much cash, security is tight inside and out. The casinos have visitors under constant surveillance, and hotel security guards are never more than a few seconds away. Outside, police are highly visible, on foot and bicycles and in cruisers. However, you should take the same precautions you would in any city—be aware of what's going on around you, stick to well-lighted areas, and quickly move away from any situation or people that might be threatening—especially if you're carrying some gambling cash. When Downtown, it's wise not to stray too far off the three main streets: Fremont, Ogden, and Carson between Main and Las Vegas Boulevard.

Be especially careful with your purse around slot machines. Grab-and-run thieves are always looking for easy pickings, especially Downtown.

Apart from their everyday vulnerability to aggressive men, women should have few problems with unwanted attention in Las Vegas. If something does happen inside a casino, simply go to any pit and ask a boss to call security. The problem will disappear in seconds. Outside, crowds are almost always thick on the Strip and Downtown, and there's safety in numbers. Still, be aware of pickpockets.

Men in Las Vegas also need to be on guard against predatory women. "Trick roller" is the name of a particularly nasty breed of female con artist. These women are experts at meeting single men by "chance." After getting friendly in the casino, the woman joins the man in his hotel room, where she slips powerful knockout drugs into his drink and robs him blind. Some men don't wake up. Prostitution is illegal in Clark County, although it is legal in the rural counties of Nevada.

Distribute your cash, credit cards, IDs, and other valuables between a deep front pocket, an inside jacket or vest pocket, and a hidden money pouch. Don't reach for the money pouch once you're in public.

Immunizations

There are no immunization requirements for visitors traveling to the United States for tourism, though some facilities and businesses may require proof of COVID-19 vaccination.