CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke to Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman earlier today and the interview is going viral.
Goodman has been an adamant proponent of reopening the city, even calling the shutdowns "total insanity."
PREVIOUS STORY: Shutdown showdown: Mayor Goodman unapologetic in push to reopen economy
During today's interview on CNN, Goodman said she is willing to offer the city as a "control group" if Las Vegas is allowed to reopen. Goodman told Cooper that with no cure or vaccine, the shutdown could go on for months or maybe even a year.
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The interview quickly began trending on social media, with almost everyone appearing to react negatively. Late-night television host and former Las Vegas resident Jimmy Kimmel called Goodman an "embarrassment to my hometown."
Goodman also told Cooper that additional testing, contact tracing and personal protective equipment is needed before reopening. When Cooper asked her what she was doing as the mayor to help with those efforts, she responded that it was not her responsibility.
RELATED STORY: Clark County commissioner calls Mayor Goodman 'reckless, dangerous'
Goodman also said that it is up to the businesses in Las Vegas to figure out social distancing. She said that her days are full, trying to help people get back to work.
Additionally, Goodman said she believes she contracted the virus in January and she hopes to donate her plasma to help those who are currently battling the virus. She did not give any other details.
Las Vegas has been hit especially hard by the governor's orders to close casinos and nonessential businesses. More than 300,000 people are currently unemployed and the unemployment department has been overwhelmed with the vast number of people applying for benefits.
RELATED STORY: Culinary Union calls Las Vegas Mayor Goodman's comments 'outrageous'
Although Goodman is mayor of the City of Las Vegas, most of the hotel-casinos in the Las Vegas area are actually located in Clark County. Goodman also told Anderson during the interview that she is not a gambler.
Representative Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District – whose district includes the entire Las Vegas Strip – released a statement in response to recent comments made by the Mayor of the City of Las Vegas, which does not include the Las Vegas Strip:
“We have to listen to the scientists and right now they tell us we must continue to stay at home as much as possible,” said Congresswoman Titus (NV-1). “Businesses in Las Vegas will only be able to recover if we take this pandemic seriously. The Mayor does not represent the Las Vegas Strip, literally or figuratively.”
RELATED: Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus responds to Mayor Goodman's comments
Statement from County Commissioner Michael Naft addressing Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman's ongoing defiance of Nevada's efforts to "flatten the curve" and beat Covid-19:
"Mayor Goodman’s defiance of Governor Sisolak’s stay-at-home order is reckless and dangerous. We ALL want to re-open as soon as possible. This includes the leadership of Clark County, which is home to 2.3 million residents and is the local jurisdiction over Nevada's economic engine, the Las Vegas Strip.
Unfortunately, every expert and every indicator says we are not there yet. Lifting the quarantine too soon would be a slap in the face of all Nevadans, especially our front-line workers who have sacrificed so much for the greater good.
I implore the Mayor to listen to the medical experts, to the Governor, and to all Nevadans who are focused on economic recovery, as soon as it is medically sound."
At the time this story was published, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services reports 172 COVID-19 related deaths in the state of Nevada. There have been 4,081 positive cases and 29,807 negative cases reported as of noon April 22.
