By Vakkas Dogantekin
ANKARA (AA) – Prominent Las Vegas resorts in the U.S. state of Nevada announced they are closing down their properties temporarily amid worries about the rapidly spreading of coronavirus.
Wynn Resorts and MGM Resorts announced temporary closures Monday.
Assuring guests of full refund, Wynn Resorts said its Wynn Las Vegas and Encore hotels on the world-famous Las Vegas strip will close for at least two weeks starting Tuesday at 6 p.m. local time.
MGM Resorts in a statement said it will temporarily close at the end of Tuesday and will not be taking reservations for arrivals before May 1.
The decision of Las Vegas resorts came after Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Sunday the closure of schools statewide through early April.
Meanwhile, First Lady Melania Trump announced that the 140-year-old annual White House Easter Egg Roll tradition will not be held next month due to concerns about the pandemic.
"The health and safety of all Americans must be the first priority, especially right now," first lady Melania Trump said in a statement Monday announcing the cancellation of the April 13 event.
The death toll from novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, in the U.S. has climbed to 69, with total confirmed cases is around 3,800, according to Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
President Donald Trump declared a national emergency Friday in an attempt to thwart the spread of virus in the U.S.
Taking the action, Trump said, it will allow him to "unleash the full power of the federal government,” including freeing up to $50 billion to assist state and local efforts.
The worldwide death toll now numbers around 6,500, with some 165,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which declared the outbreak a pandemic.
