Downtown feels strangely quiet. This area, usually filled with casino goers or residents from nearby apartment complexes, is suddenly empty with nothing but signs announcing shop closures on the windows lining the street.
Tabu’s of Reno Barber Lounge is unlit and locked after the order to close all non-essential businesses. In a hope to keep business alive after the lockdown, the business owner leaves his phone number on the front door of his shop in hopes that he can continue talking with clients during the quarantine.
Royce, a bar and burger joint in the heart of downtown, was ordered to close by the state on March 17th. On a Friday evening like when this photo was taken, the patio is usually full of friends and couples eating and drinking together. Now, the bar and patio sit empty, the only sound coming from the wind whipping the Chicago Cubs flag that flies on the corner of the building.
Midtown Reno, full of locally owned businesses, has ground to a halt. The cars that drive down the street don’t stop at businesses as they normally would. Instead, the drivers are en-route to their homes, waiting for the COVID-19 crisis to be over, not knowing when it will end.
The University of Nevada, Reno, sits empty. All non-essential personnel and students have been sent away from the university and campus has been closed to the general public. The campus has also closed its in-person food bank for students with need for food, school supplies, and hygiene items, but the university has created an online request system where students can have items delivered to their location within three miles of campus.
The streets of downtown Reno are quiet. With all non-essential businesses ordered to close by Governor Steve Sisolak and recommendations by city leadership and the CDC, the usually packed downtown freeway exit finds itself empty even on a weekday during normal commuting hours.
The Eldorado, along with all other casinos in the downtown area, suspended all operations on March 17th in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Eldorado and its partnered casinos are one of the largest employers across all of Washoe County, leaving thousands unemployed for the duration of the crisis.
Where will this current crisis lead us to as a community? It’s a question many are wondering as they also await for the shutdown to be lifted, and try to avoid catching coronavirus themselves.