As the casinos on the Las Vegas strip remain dark and anxiously prepare to reopen, a tiny new start-up company comprised of out of work, fretful, quarantined, designers, engineers, and entertainers have become the first company in the world to successfully introduce to market a proven, proactive technology engineered specifically to mitigate the proliferation of virus and bacteria in a casino environment.

The SafePlay UV partitions were developed by Las Vegas-based Smith Rosen. The company manufactures products that mitigate exposure to airborne contaminants in casinos.

Crowds at Las Vegas-area markets have thinned, and items like eggs, chicken and even toilet paper are again readily available as the COVID-19 panic shopping has ceased. But cruise down the cleaning aisles and you’ll still find shelves mostly empty of bleach and hand sanitizers.

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is believed to spread primarily when a person with the virus coughs or sneezes in close proximity to someone who is healthy — underscoring the current emphasis on social distancing.

Italy is flattening the curve while the U.S. has become the epicenter. What have we learned about the virus and how will we know when the tide turns on the rates of infection? Is social distancing working? Are enough tests available to identify and isolate the infected? What have we learned about the virus surviving on surfaces and in the air? What mathematical models can help to predict the peak and hopefully the decline in new cases as time goes on? Is the end in sight? Media were invited to attend and ask questions at this Virtual Press Conference with a Newswise Live Expert Panel to discuss the COVID-19 crisis.

The barrage of coronavirus-related news stories can be dizzying. Even for the seemingly well-informed, it’s become increasingly difficult to sift through it all to discern truly helpful tips to keep our homes and families safe and to regain a little bit of control in our lives.

The coronavirus has changed the way society functions, and in turn, many people are spending a lot of time at home. By doing so, they're both staying away from people who might have unwanted germs and are keeping themselves from spreading unwanted germs.

But disinfecting chips or even using disposable chips can only go so far since so many people touch them daily or even hourly.