LAS VEGAS — When Michael Schenk, 37, and his father, Gary Schenk, 67, arrived in Las Vegas on Tuesday for a construction trade show, normalcy still reigned in the glitzy desert city.

They gambled among crowds at the Excalibur, ate at an Irish restaurant at the New York-New York and mingled with fellow convention goers who had flown in from Europe and Asia to Sin City.

But what a difference a few days can make. By the end of their five-day trip, the pair from Philadelphia were leaving a town that bore no resemblance to the one in which they had arrived.

Shows and concerts were canceled. Day clubs and nightclubs closed until further notice. Restaurants shut down and workers were laid off.

“When we arrived we were concerned and expected the crowds to be less but we didn’t notice a difference,” said Michael Schenk, who is a managing partner at his father’s contract and property management firm.

“Now we are leaving just as a new reality sets in.”

For weeks as the coronavirus spread across the world, the daily tempo of Las Vegas had remained relatively normal. But now, the pandemic is crushing the adult playground’s ability to meet the desires and temptations of the more than 42 million people it draws annually and is dealing a strong blow to its $6.6-billion gambling industry.

Early Sunday, for example, Caesars Entertainment announced that it would suspend all performances beginning tonight through the end of March. “We are taking these bold measures now and look forward to welcoming guests back to enjoy world-class entertainment experiences as soon as we are able,” the company said via email.

When Schenk and his father learned that organizers of the ConExpo-Con/Agg construction trade show had decided to end what was supposed to be a five-day convention 24 hours early, the pair tried unsuccessfully to find reasonably priced flights back home.

As they waited for their flight late Saturday night at the nearly empty Las Vegas airport, they thought back to the hygienic precautions they took during their vacation. They felt fine, they said, but were nonetheless on edge.

“We were vigilant. We tried not to shake hands,” Schenk said to his father.

Earlier in the week, he spoke to his wife on the phone. She told him to brace for a new reality once he arrived home in Philadelphia.

“‘The restaurants are still open in Las Vegas?,’” Schenk remembers his wife asking.

“It seems like it’s chaos back home,” Schenk told his father at the airport, recalling that conversation.

Vegas might be a bit behind the rest of the United States, but reality is now catching up.

As several employees on the Strip began to test positive for the coronavirus last week, MGM Resorts cut the hours of dozens of restaurant, bars and lounges at their properties while closing others.

Late Saturday night, Las Vegas native Rachel Tapp, 31, was waiting to serve customers at the Breeze Daiquiri bar, but had come to accept the fact that it was going to be a slow night.

It was 11:30 p.m., when the lines usually stretch out the door.

On this night, with the looming NCAA national basketball tournament and so many other events and betting opportunities canceled or postponed, only a few customers straggled in.

“It’s usually packed on Saturdays. Especially this time last year considering how it’s March Madness and around the time of St. Patrick’s Day,” she said. “I’m worried I’ll be laid off. My dad, who works at the Aria buffet, has already gotten laid off. I’ve never seen Las Vegas like this.”