Las Vegas Sands has continued to make donations as part of its mitigation efforts concerning the coronavirus pandemic, after two million surgical masks arrived in New York.
Detailed as part of the firm’s previous efforts to minimise spread across the US, distribution to health care providers and first responders attacking the COVID-19 crisis on the front lines to follow.
In total, Sands has donated more than 2.5 million pieces of personal protection equipment to Nevada, New York, California and Massachusetts. The company also donated 1,900 coronavirus test kits and is in the process of donating 20,000 protective suits to the state of Nevada.
Furthermore, Sands has made financial contributions to several hunger-relief organisations and donated 60 pallets of food and more than 55,000 bottles of water to local organisations.
“This pandemic has called on each of us to use every ability we have to help those most impacted by the crisis,” stated Sheldon Adelson, Las Vegas Sands chairman.
“Getting personal protection equipment to our health-care professionals and first responders in Nevada and New York, the epicenter of this crisis, is critical to keeping those brave folks safe, while making sure they can do their jobs to aid our most vulnerable citizens. I am grateful we can leverage our resources to get these donations to the front lines, and we send them with the best wishes of our company and team members.”
A similar trend has been followed by MGM Resorts International, with the company rolling-out a broad range of donations and initiatives intended to help alleviate supply shortages and support local communities due to COVID-19.
By leveraging its supply chain, procurement capabilities, distribution systems, supplier network and other resources, MGM is delivering on a daily basis, urgent logistical support to help manage supply shortages of critical items.
“We are leveraging the resources of our company to make a difference by delivering much-needed support and product where it is most required,” commented Bill Hornbuckle, acting CEO and president of MGM Resorts International.
“We are committed to providing relief to medical staff and others who are on the front line of this global battle against COVID-19 as well as the volunteer organisations on the ground serving local communities. We are fully mobilised and doing all we can to support as many people as possible during this difficult time.”
This follows the company recognising the support of many of its resident entertainment partners who have donated to MGM’s Employee Emergency Grant Fund in support of those impacted economically by the virus.
David Copperfield, Jay Leno, Bill Maher, Kathleen Madigan, David Spade, Boyz II Men, Brad Garrett, Carrot Top, Terry Fator, Ray Romano, Jabbawockeez, Shin Lim, Thunder from Down Under, Hans Klok, Australian Bee Gees, Fantasy and Bill Blumenreich Presents each showed their support with a donation to the fund.
Jyoti Chopra, senior vice president, chief diversity and sustainability officer for MGM Resorts International, commented “Our focus during this crisis is people, first and foremost, followed by compassion and care. We are proud to join our entertainment community to lend humanitarian assistance to those in need.
“We are incredibly grateful for the generous donations by our entertainers, a vital part of our ecosystem at MGM Resorts, which will be used to provide emergency relief.”
Boyd Gaming Corporation has also announced additional measures to mitigate the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in the closure of all of the company’s properties.
Due to the continued closure of all revenue-generating operations, Boyd Gaming will place most of its team members on unpaid furlough from this weekend.
The company also announced that its executive leadership team will be taking significant salary reductions, while the company’s board of directors has agreed to suspend the compensation. Additionally, all non-furloughed members of Boyd’s corporate and property management teams will take a salary cut.
“This is by far the most difficult decision we have ever made,” said Keith Smith, president and CEO of Boyd Gaming. “We care deeply about the well-being of our team members, which is why we maintained full pay and benefits through April 10.
“Implementing furloughs was a last resort for us, but a necessary step to protect our Company, especially given the current lack of visibility regarding property re-openings.”
To conclude, the Twin River Casino Hotel in Lincoln, Rhode Island is serving as a drive-through site for the rapid COVID-19 tests, after the site was selected by Governor Gina Raimondo.
Subsequently entering a partnership with CVS Health to make free, rapid COVID-19 tests available to all Rhode Islanders, the testing site will use the new Abbott ID Now system and will be able to perform approximately 1,000 tests per day, doubling Rhode Island’s capacity.
“We are pleased to offer Twin River Casino Hotel in Lincoln as a rapid COVID-19 drive through testing site,” said Marc Crisafulli, Executive Vice President of Twin River Worldwide Holdings.
“We are supporting the efforts of the RI Department of Health, CVS Health, the Rhode Island State Police and the RI National Guard to ensure as smooth a testing experience as possible. This level of collaboration truly is representative of the fact that we are all in this together, and we stand ready to do all we can to support the State’s efforts to manage the spread of the virus.”
