Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak

The National Park Service has closed the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island because of the pandemic.

The landmarks had remained open through the weekend, but the number of tourists coming to visit dwindled dramatically in recent days.

The spread of the pathogen worldwide has led entire countries and cities to shut down, causing businesses to close, airlines to cancel thousands of flights, and tourism to grind to a halt.

Landmarks in and around Washington, DC, have also been closed down due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Washington Monument suspended elevator tours this past weekend, though people will still be able to visit the grounds as well as other monuments along the National Mall.

The Statue of Liberty (seen above in May of last year) will be closed due to the coronavirus outbreak

The National Park Service also announced that the Golden Gate Recreational Area will also be off limits to visitors during the coronavirus outbreak

The National Park Service also announced that the Golden Gate Recreational Area will also be off limits to visitors during the coronavirus outbreak

The National Zoo in Washington, DC, has also been shuttered, the National Park Service has announced this past weekend

The National Zoo in Washington, DC, has also been shuttered, the National Park Service has announced this past weekend

Arlington National Cemetery announced on Thursday that it will close to visitors beginning on Friday.

The National Zoo and the Smithsonian Institution also shut down operations over the weekend.

On the West Coast, the National Park Service also put a stop to visits to Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center.

Las Vegas is also hunkering down during the coronavirus onslaught. 

MGM Resorts International announced on Sunday that it will be halting the operations of all of its Vegas hotels and casinos as the coronavirus continues its spread in Nevada.

It means some of the most well-known hotels, casinos and mega resorts in the city that employ tens of thousands of workers, such as The Bellagio, the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay, will close their doors.

The company said they will cease casino operations on Monday followed by the hotel operations on Tuesday.

The National Park Service said that the elevator inside the Washington Monument will not be in service, though visitors are free to roam the grounds

The National Park Service said that the elevator inside the Washington Monument will not be in service, though visitors are free to roam the grounds

Arlington National Cemetery in nearby Arlington, Virginia, will also be closed, it was announced over the weekend

Arlington National Cemetery in nearby Arlington, Virginia, will also be closed, it was announced over the weekend

The National Park Service also announced that Alcatraz Island will be closed for the foreseeable future

The National Park Service also announced that Alcatraz Island will be closed for the foreseeable future

The Mirage, Luxor, New York-New York, Excalibur and Park MG will also shut, MGM confirmed. 

Wynn Resorts also said in a statement on the same day that Wynn Las Vegas and Encore would close for two weeks.

The virtual shutdown of the multi-billion-dollar industry is a hammer blow for the city’s tourism and entertainment sectors as hotel occupancy rates have already begun to nosedive. 

According to Wynn Resorts’ official figures on its website, the company’s operating revenues over three months up to last September were $1.65 billion.

MGM Grand posted net revenues of $3.2 billion over three months up to the end of 2019, the firm’s accounts state.

Several employees at MGM Resorts International hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, including at least one at Luxor, tested positive in a presumptive test for COVID-19 over the weekend. 

On Friday it emerged two employees, one at the Luxor and another at the Wet Republic pool, tested positive.

In a statement, MGM said they will not be taking any reservations prior to May 1.

MGM casinos set to close on Monday

The Bellagio 

MGM Grand

Mandalay Bay

The Mirage

Luxor

New York-New York 

Excalibur

Park MG 

The announcement came shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised against holding large gatherings of more than 50 people for at least eight weeks to fight coronavirus. 

MGM Chairman and CEO, Jim Murren, said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review Journal that the temporary closures are for ‘the good of our employees, guests and communities’.

‘It is now apparent that this is a public health crisis that requires major collective action if we are to slow its progression,’ Murren said. 

‘We will plan to reopen our resorts as soon as it (is) safe to do so and we will continue to support our employees, guests and communities in every way that we can during this period of closure.’

On Friday, the company told employees it would begin furloughs and layoffs, beginning ‘in areas most immediately impacted by the slowdown in demand’. 

The company also said that full-time employees who are being furloughed or laid off will be paid two weeks from their last day of work.

All employees on the company’s health plan will maintain benefits through June 30, according to the Review Journal. 

Culinary Union Local 226 said it has new proposals for extra protections for workers. It is estimated 60,000 workers in Vegas have with union contracts, including MGM and Wynn employees.

Luxor Hotel and Casino on Saturday. The operation is now closed over fears of the spread of the coronavirus. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11

Luxor Hotel and Casino on Saturday. The operation is now closed over fears of the spread of the coronavirus. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11

A cleaning cart is seen among slot machines at Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday

A cleaning cart is seen among slot machines at Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday

Encore Las Vegas and Wynn Las Vegas on Sunday when the company announced the resorts would close for two weeks

Encore Las Vegas and Wynn Las Vegas on Sunday when the company announced the resorts would close for two weeks

A buffet at Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday as Donald Trump declared the coronavirus a national emergency

A buffet at Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday as Donald Trump declared the coronavirus a national emergency

As of Saturday, health officials have announced 21 cases of coronavirus in Nevada.

The progression of the virus prompted MGM to amp up their efforts after last week’s actions to close buffets at all of its properties on the Strip.

The company announced Tuesday that it was shuttering the all-you-can-eat restaurants, which started Sunday. It also temporarily closed its MGM Northfield Park property in Ohio as well as its casinos in Massachusetts and Maryland.

Buffets, where diners pay a flat fee and often serve themselves at various food stands with unlimited proportions, are a signature staple of most casinos in the gambling destination.

Sunday’s announcement came the same day Wynn Resorts said in a statement that the two-week closure of the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore would start March 17 at 6pm.

After the temporary closure, Wynn ‘will evaluate the situation’, according to a Sunday statement from the company.

Wynn had already planned to close its poker room as well as its race and sportsbook earlier this week, as the company began temporarily cancelling all large entertainment gatherings.    

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