Wynn Resorts will not require employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19, but the Las Vegas-based casino operator is leaving a program in place in an effort to keep coronavirus at bay.
Matthew Maddox, chief executive of Wynn, told CNBC’s Jim Cramer Thursday that staff can choose to be tested weekly or get inoculated, both of which can be done on-site.
“I don’t think it’s our job to be mandating vaccines for everybody, but what I am mandating is that we’re Covid free in our staff,” he said in an interview on “Mad Money.”
About 60% of Wynn employees have been vaccinated, Maddox said. The company reported having about 27,500 employees at the end of last year, 14,400 of which are in the United States.
The Wynn Las Vegas Encore hotel is a community vaccine site where more than 40,000 inoculations have been administered, Maddox said, including 4,000 employees.
“We’re just continuing to do everything we can to create a safe environment and one that we know is going to be fun, because it’s coming,” Maddox said. “The fun is coming.”
Wynn is one of many companies that decided against requiring that workers receive a Covid-19 vaccine, though many experts say it would be legal for employers to mandate the health precaution. About 3 million people in the U.S. are now getting shots each day as states drop age restrictions.
“I think our best days are ahead of us in the not-so-distant future.”
Shares of Wynn rose 0.61% to close at $133.49 Thursday. The stock has gained 18% this year, outgaining the S&P 500 to date.
