Ask the Slot Expert: Covid restrictions coming back to Las Vegas? Part 2: The Virus Strikes Back

Events in the fight against Covid moved as fast as the Delta variant today. Moments after the CDC revised its guidance to say that even vaccinated people should wear masks indoors in areas of the country with high transmission rates. Nevada Governor Sisolak issued a directive bringing back the mask mandate in Clark County and 11 other Nevada counties.

This change shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. In May the Governor signed a directive to automatically adopt CDC mask guidance. (Nevada reinstates mask mandate in high-transmission areas, including Clark County)

The Nevada Gaming Control Board has indicated it will follow the recommendations of the county or the state, so make sure you bring your mask to the casino along with your players card.

The only surprising thing -- to me, at least -- is that the mandate does not go into effect until Friday at 12:01AM. Why not right away or at 12:01AM tomorrow? Don't we all already have masks?

There actually is some logic behind the delay, as was talked about in the Clark County Board of Commissioners Emergency Meeting last week. Businesses have to replace the face-mask-encouraged signs to face-mask-required signs and casinos will ensure they have masks available for guests again. Businesses might need a little time to get in compliance, but people should mask up right away.

The county's insufficient mask mandate for employee's in indoor, public spaces was going to last until August 17, at which time the commissioners would decide whether to discontinue it, extend it, or expand it to include the public. Now the mandate is tied to CDC guidance. The only ways to get masks optional again are to decrease our transmission or have a less transmissible variant take over.

I've been busy the past few days watching the Olympics, one of the three sporting events I watch. It used to take a lot less time when only one channel showed coverage, mostly highlights in primetime unless the time zone was favorable for live coverage. Then cable gave us more channels of coverage and with streaming, maybe we can see every event.

I remember when the Indy 500 (the second event I watch) was not shown live. ABC showed excerpts of the race in primetime. Back then, ABC had a minute news summary right before the start of the primetime block. In the summary on one Indy Sunday, the newscaster announced who won the race. That's like -- spoiler alert -- having "Rosebud is the sled" printed on your Citizen Kane movie ticket.

It's been five years, but once again I know what a libero is. I still have to look up the difference between the butterfly and the breaststroke again.

We already have some good surprises (Lydia Jacoby's winning the 100-meter breaststroke), some shocks (Simon Biles withdrawing from the team competition), and some close calls (Tom Daley's gold in Men's Synchronized 10m Platform Diving).

Speaking of that event, I'd love to have been in the room when someone said, "You know, jumping off a platform 33 feet high and twisting and tumbling around before hitting the water and trying not to make a big splash is too easy. How do we make this more difficult? I've got it. How about making two people do the same dive? In unison."

I don't miss the crowds . I can actually hear some of what the athletes are saying, like calling out instructions on the volleyball court.

One thing I appreciate about recent Olympics is seeing sports I haven't seen before. 3x3 Basketball is much more exciting than regular basketball.

Street Skateboarding is also a lot of fun, but I think the commentator is pulling words out of a Dr. Seuss book when calling out the tricks the skaters performed (or, frequently, attempted). Many of them look alike to me. They're a lot like figure skating jumps. "Was that an Axel or a Lutz?"

For that matter, what is the difference between an Axel and a Lutz?

Ask me next year.

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