July 4th weekend bringing in business, traffic, crowds

Las Vegas is once again one of the most popular destinations for the Fourth of July weekend, and while small businesses welcome the massive crowds, health officials are concerned with the coronavirus delta variant identified in Clark County.

LIVE AT 11.I’M TODD QUINONES.TRICIA HAS THE NIGHT OFF.HUGE CROWDS ARE EXPECTEDFOR THIS FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND--BUT THE BIGGER CROWDS ARECOMING AT A TIME WHEN THECORONAVIRUS DELTA VARIANT IS AGROWING CONCERN.13 ACTION NEWS ANCHORRACHEL MOORE IS LIVE WITH WHATWE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO.RACHEL?SINCE NEVADA REOPENED EXACTLYONE MONTH AGO TODAY -- 4TH OFJULY WEEKEND IS REALLY OUR FIRSTMAJOR HOLIDAY WEEKEND.AND WITH SEVERAL EVENTS ANDFIREWORK SHOWS PLANNED - IT’S NOWONDER WHY LOCALS ARE STAYING INTOWN AND WHY WE’RE ATTRACTING SOMANY TOURISTS.AN EXPLOSIVE 4TH OF JULY WEEKENDIS IN STORE FOR LAS VEGAS.IT’S LISTED AS ONE OF THE TOPCITIES WITH THE BEST FIREWORKSDISPLAYS.AAA PROJECTS 47 MILLION WILLTRAVEL FOR THE HOLIDAY AND 91PERCENT WILL HIT THE ROAD."Road trips are extremelypopular.

If you’re going to beon the road, you’re going to besharing that road with a lot ofpeople."THOSE ROAD TRAVELERS AREDESTINED FOR LAS VEGAS NOW THATNEVADA IS FULLY OPEN WITHSEVERAL FESTIVITIES PLANNED LIKEEDM ARTIST ILLENIUM PERFORMINGAT ALLEGIANT STADIUM -- THEFIRST MAJOR EVENT TO TAKE PLACEIN THE MULTI-BILLION DOLLARVENUE.HERE AT M&M’S SMOKE SHOP NEARALLEGIANT STADIUM -- OWNERMOHAMMAD RUSSA SAYS 4TH OF JULYWEEKEND IS ALWAYS "CRAZY.""You can’t imagine how busy weare for the 4th of July."SOME OF RUSSA’S TOP SELLINGMERCHANDISE ARE HIS GLASS BONGSAND HOOKAH COALS.SHUTTING DOWN DUE TO THEPANDEMIC WAS A MERE HICCUP FORHIS BUSINESS."After two months it was, again,crazy, the same thing.

We gotmore business than regulardays."WHILE M&M’S SMOKE SHOP WELCOMESTHE INFLUX OF CUSTOMERS,CONCERNS OF MASSIVE CROWDSLINGER.THE DELTA VARIANT OF THECORONAVIRUS WORRYING HEALTHOFFICIALS NATIONWIDE.THE NEVADA STATE LABORATORY HASIDENTIFIED THE NEWEST STRAINEVEN HERE IN CLARK COUNTY.WHILE THE WORLD HEALTHORGANIZATION SAYS WE SHOULDSTILL WEAR MASKS -- THE C-D-CSAYS FULLY VACCINATEDINDIVIDUALS SHOULD FEELCOMFORTABLE GOING OUT.BUT LOCAL DOCTORS SAY THERE’SNOT ENOUGH RESEARCH ABOUT THISNEW VARIANT."The vaccines that we have noware pretty good, but they arenot 100%.

And there’s still thatvery small chance that we canstill get the virus or transmitit."AND DOCTORS RECOMMEND SAFEPRACTICES LIKE WASHING HANDS -TRY NOT TO GET TOO CLOSE TOSTRANGERS ESPECIALLY IF THEY’RESNEEZING OR COUGHING.