-Las Vegas, Nevada.
There are no tourists on the sidewalks.
The sounds of birds echo the Strip.
Downtown casinos are lit up,
but the slots are shut off and the tables empty.
A city built on risk, restaurants,
and revelry is suddenly very sober.
More than 42 million people from around the world
visited Las Vegas last year.
Nevada's tourism, leisure, hospitality,
and gambling industry accounts for one
in three jobs in the state.
And with the city closed for over a month now,
nearly 350,000 residents have filed for unemployment.
-We created a bodega just to shine a little color down here
in the Arts District in this dark time that we're living.
-Derek Stonebarger owns a bar/restaurant.
When the city shut down,
he decided to change his business model.
-We were never in this type of business.
We were providing cocktails and drinks to people at the bar,
but now we're providing kits
and make-your-own cocktails at your house.
We also have, you know, bread and olive oil.
We've got tons of gloves and masks.
These are artisan made masks that we're selling.
Gloves in all different sizes.
So we put together this website, and it's working.
It's an online general store where everything is for sale.
Over 500 products.
We don't accept cash.
People come up to the front to try to use our drive thru,
and we say, "We don't take cash, you have to use our website."
They say, "What about a credit card?"
It's like, I don't even want to touch your credit card.
We're keeping our distance. We've created a model.
It's safe.
-In the western suburbs of Vegas is Honey Salt,
a restaurant owned by Elizabeth Blau.
-Corner, corner.
-To see the entire city shut down,
to see the Strip as really, truly a ghost town,
it's like out of some kind of crazy science fiction movie.
You couldn't even dream a scenario like this.
-So Blau and others dreamed up a non-profit program
called Delivering With Dignity,
which has brought more than 18,000 meals
in the last month to residents around the city.
-Heart-wrenching calls from seniors
who are afraid to leave their homes and haven't eaten in days.
We're making sure that, you know,
those most vulnerable in our community are being fed.
Even while we're trying to keep our own businesses alive,
that there are those still far less fortunate than any of us.
-By partnering with the United Way, several charity groups,
and other restaurants, this program
is also keeping people employed during the shut down.
-The future we know when this is over,
it's not like for our industry
that you're going to turn on a light switch
and things are gonna go back to normal.
And so we're looking, I think, at a very long recovery.
-Not to mention many of the people who usually fly here
to have fun may not be able to afford it when this is all over.
Casino companies are projected to lose $39 billion
in the next year and a half,
which is how long it will take for the industry to recover
if casinos stay closed for the next few months.
-It's not just the gaming industry.
I think everything.
I think everybody. Everybody's gonna be affected.
It's gonna be like that moving forward for a long time.
-James Swanson owns a company that does billboards
for major events and hotels on the Strip.
He was forced to layoff 90% of his staff
but came up with an idea to not only salvage his business
but help the casinos make a comeback after the lock down.
-Okay, so they're clear acrylic,
and they're basically separating people from each other
at the slot machines, and they're separating people
from each other at the gaming tables.
Also separating them from the dealer.
-The are the acrylic boards that Screaming Images has created,
and they're working with El Cortez,
which is the longest running casino in all of Las Vegas.
Now, the deal is, this is a prototype,
and they're trying to make it safe for customers that come in
when they can reopen during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Of course, all of this has to be approved by the Nevada Board
and Game Association.
Demand has slowed for real estate developer Uri Vankin,
who oversees a large portfolio of luxury condos here.
But he thinks the city could ultimately benefit
from the crisis.
-We're gonna figure it out.
It might not be right away.
We might not have the great, you know, shows that we had
or the giant pool parties right away,
but we will figure this out.
Las Vegas always has, and I think
there is a real sort of desire to push this even further --
And we were doing this -- is to make
Las Vegas a more dynamic city economically,
bringing in other industries
so that we are not so reliant just solely on tourism.
-In the meantime, there are vehicles lined up
at dozens of food banks across the city.
The Vegas Strip is void of people,
and the neon lights have no audience.