Bellagio, Aria, other Las Vegas hotels temporarily closing buffets due to coronavirus

You can basically do anything in Las Vegas — except, starting Sunday, eat at the buffets operated by MGM Resorts.
The company announced on Tuesday that on March 15, it will close the buffets at its Aria, Bellagio, Excalibur, Luxor, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, and Mirage hotels. This is a precautionary move amid the coronavirus epidemic, MGM said, and will be reassessed every week.
MGM told 8 News Now employees "will work directly with MGM'S Labor Relations department to assist with any employment changes, transitions, or questions as part of the temporary buffet closure process." Should an employee or a dependent contract coronavirus, the company said they will receive their regular pay while under quarantine.
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Las Vegas buffets often draw long lines and hefty prices — the extravagant Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace will set an adult diner back $64.99 after 3 p.m. on a weekend. Caesars Entertainment at this time isn't planning on shuttering Bacchanal or any of its other buffets, and neither is the Wynn Las Vegas. The Wynn is putting hand sanitizer out at the entrance of its buffet, and starting Wednesday, employees will be on hand at each buffet station to serve guests, so they won't pick up the utensils.
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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