Crowds of people swarm Las Vegas Strip days before capacity limits ease

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Crowds of people flooded the Las Vegas Strip over the weekend, just days before the state's coronavirus restrictions were slated to ease. 

Photos of the massive crowds in the nation's gambling mecca started to pop up across social media, even though capacity restrictions didn't hit 50% until Monday, according to Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak's "Roadmap to Recovery." 

Various videos on Tiktok showed crowds of people shoulder to shoulder dancing on the Strip, in some cases with drinks in hand or walking to various attractions. However, according to the video clips, the crowds appeared to still abide by the mandatory mask mandate. 

Prior to the increase, capacity had been capped at 35%. As of Monday, Sisolak also began allowing organizers to host large gatherings or events, including conferences, conventions and trade shows, with up to 250 people or 50% capacity, whichever is less.   

CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT IS RESUMING LIVE ENTERTAINMENT ON LAS VEGAS STRIP

The new rules are said to help revive Nevada's tourism-reliant economy. 

In fact, Sisolak said Nevada’s heavy reliance on tourism and in-person activities like conventions, concerts and trade shows made the decision to shut down the economy in March particularly painstaking. 

The state’s unemployment rate spiked to a nation-topping 30.1% in April. The state’s Economic Forum reported in December that the number of visitors in 2020 had sunk to levels not seen since 1993.

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Now, Sisolak is working to keeping residents and tourists safe all while making sure the state's tourism and hospitality industry stays afloat. 

"Mark my words: Nevada will be the safest place to have a convention or to come and visit. It will be safe for the tourists; it will be safe for the hotel operators and for employees and their families," he said in an interview Friday. "And we’ll continue to open our economy back up." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.