Recent weeks have seen a wide-scale reopening of casinos across the U.S. after weeks of coronavirus-mandated closures. The ability for many of these properties to remain open will be largely predicated on avoiding outbreaks of COVID-19 among facility employees and guests. To that end, many resorts have opened with fairly stringent social distancing and surface cleaning programs in place, as the following examples show:
Tachi Palace Casino Resort, Lemoore, Calif., will reopen in two phases with numerous added safety measures in place including the use of infrared cameras to determine body temperatures of associates and guests. Associates and guests also will be required to wear masks and must be 21 to enter.
San Diego-based Barona Resort & Casino’s phased re-opening is centered on the Barona Cares Health and Safety Plan which includes increased and continuous disinfecting and cleaning protocols, limiting capacity, social distancing policies, required facial coverings for all staff and players, infrared temperature checks, health and hygiene reminders propertywide, and banning smoking in the entire casino.
Harrah’s Lake Tahoe’s enhanced health and safety protocols include more frequent cleaning and sanitization. Team members will undergo health screenings, COVID-19 training, and daily temperature checks. They will also be required to wear masks, which will be provided by Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. Guests will be provided masks and will be strongly encouraged to wear them throughout their visit.
Las Vegas-based Plaza Hotel & Casino will require all staff to wear masks, have their temperature taken before starting work, enter via a designated location, and observe social distancing. Guests will also be encouraged to wear masks (although not required) and receive an amenity kit at check-in with a complimentary mask for their use.
Popular Las Vegas amenities are also getting into the cleanliness act. For example, as downtown Las Vegas prepares to reopen, Fremont Street Experience (FSE) will continue to employ robust cleaning procedures designed to mitigate the spread of the virus based on guidance of Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and public health officials. To ensure the safety of visitors and employees, FSE will disinfect the pedestrian mall, parking garage and SlotZilla zip line towers twice a day with environmentally friendly and highly effective products that are immediately safe for human contact.