As we talk about thousands of people being at a casino vs. a political rally, I think there are a few things to note. As a health care reporter, I've been talking to hospital workers who saw pictures of the crowded Strip over Labor Day and are just waiting for another surge.

It was just a few weeks ago that things were Not Great in the hospitals here in Las Vegas, with 1,165 hospitalized COVID-19 patients at the peak. It's not like health care workers are looking at visitors on the Strip and saying, "Oh, no big deal."

Las Vegas, and the Strip, are emblematic of excess, sure. Does anyone need to come to Las Vegas? Do you have to take a vacation? But the Strip also = very real jobs for Nevadans. In April, Nevada's unemployment skyrocketed to 28.2 percent, the highest in the nation.

All that to say, this pandemic has made us, as a society, as a globe, evaluate what is essential and what is not essential. Balancing those is tricky. It's easy to look at a casino and see something non-essential without seeing the people who depend on those paychecks.