All the left-behind establishments are carefully watched by security guards, some of whom will try to stop photos being taken of a casino with caution tape strung across its entrance. The strip and Fremont Street aren’t totally empty, of course. The giant resort hotels behind the casinos are walls of black, every hotel room dark. In a particularly grim twist, many establishments have been using the hashtag #VegasStronger in their signage, since #VegasStrong was already used, in the aftermath of the 2017 shooting. They make for a haunting backdrop: “Stay safe, stay strong, we look forward to welcoming you back soon,” from the MGM Grand, and “Doors closed, hearts open” at Palace Station.
Before they closed, the casinos posted goodbye-for-now messages on the digital screens they usually use to welcome guests. Other tourist destinations that have shut down, such as Disneyland, are closed to visitors, but on the strip stragglers can float across the empty places like they’re scrambling around in the ruins of an empty civilization. Bottom: An empty Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas during the Covid-19 shutdown. Top/middle: Closed casinos at the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas on 30 March 2020.
