An argument from the mayor of Las Vegas about opening the city’s casinos has hit a fever pitch.
Carolyn Goodman, who has been the Sin City mayor since 2011, has demanded that the businesses that want to open should be allowed to and called Nevada’s nonessential business shutdowns “total insanity” despite rising cases and deaths of covid-19.
“Assume everybody is a carrier,” the Independent mayor told MSNBC’s Katy Tur on Tuesday. “And then you start from an even slate. And tell the people what to do. And let the businesses open and competition will destroy that business if, in fact, they become evident that they have disease, they’re closed down. It’s that simple.”
Las Vegas Mayor: We survived west nile, SARS, bird flu, ecoli..
Tur: Those were not as contagious
Mayor: Well we’ll find out the facts afterwards…
Tur: But those are the facts…
Mayor: Assuming you’re correct..
Tur: There’s no assuming that I’m correct. Those are the numbers pic.twitter.com/fMcYjeIpcn— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) April 21, 2020
Not to be outdone Wednesday, Goodman’s interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper was filled with head-shaking, nonsensical moments.
At one point, Goodman, who claimed she contracted coronavirus in January, said she would offer the city as a “control group” if Vegas is allowed to reopen. The mayor said she assumes 100% of the population are already asymptomatic carriers.
“I’d love everything open because I think we’ve had viruses for years that have been here,” she added.
—@andersoncooper is all of us listening to the Las Vegas mayor pic.twitter.com/cUCbVjsbZF
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) April 22, 2020
Cooper told Goodman scientists are recommending additional testing, contact tracing and personal protective equipment before reopening. When Cooper asked what Goodman was doing as mayor in regards to contact tracing and accessible testing, Goodman said it wasn’t her responsibility.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman calls for businesses to reopen, while saying she won't provide social distancing guidelines on how to do so safely.
"They better figure it out. That's their job. That's not the mayor's job" https://t.co/warrOSZtrK pic.twitter.com/R6RCCu2Wzh
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 22, 2020
“It’s not part of our job,” Goodman tersely answered. “That’s part of our health department, part of our hospital jobs, our labs — those are the ones with the experience.”
The @mayoroflasvegas Carolyn Goodman should resign before lunch arrives today. She is an embarrassment to my hometown.
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) April 22, 2020
after listening to that mayor from Las Vegas I now understand how the mayor from Jaws got a second term
— Matt Oswalt (@MattOswaltVA) April 22, 2020
Democratic Rep. Dina Titus: "Businesses in Las Vegas will only be able to recover if we take this pandemic seriously. The Mayor does not represent the Las Vegas Strip, literally or figuratively"
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) April 22, 2020
