Casino Nj Covid
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, left, and The Water Club Hotel, right, are dark after Gov. Phil Murphy ordered the casinos to close Monday to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. By Rebecca Everett For NJ.com Since they were allowed to open July 2, Atlantic City’s casinos have been working hard to try to make up some of the millions in revenue they lost during the. “The Casino Association of New Jersey (CANJ) understands the administration’s concerns, and that is why the industry has taken extraordinary measures to safely welcome back thousands of hardworking employees and valued guests, while also helping to minimize the exposure of Atlantic City casino property guests, our employees and our local community to the COVID-19 virus.
LATEST UPDATES: Tracking COVID-19 Racial Justice
Friday, October 16, 2020
As some casinos and gaming operations resume in some areas of the United States, CDC offers the following considerations for ways in which casino and gaming operators can help protect staff and customers and slow the spread of COVID-19. Casinos and gaming operations can determine, in collaboration with local, state, territorial, federal,.
By Camille von Kaenel / inewsource, Jennifer Bowman / inewsource
Photo by Zoë Meyers / inewsource
Above: Two visitors wear face shields and masks while at a card table at the Sycuan Casino in East County, Aug. 14, 2020.
As many businesses remained under orders to stay closed during the coronavirus pandemic, tribes in San Diego County bucked recommendations from outside leaders and reopened their casinos with measures designed to limit the spread of illness.
It’s unclear if the gamble paid off.
Aired 10/16/20 on KPBS News
Listen to this story by Camille Von Kaenel of iNewsource.
Public health officials have confirmed that more than 300 of the county’s residents who contracted COVID-19 reported visiting a casino shortly before testing positive.
But the county won’t disclose whether any community outbreaks occurred at local casinos because they’re on tribal lands. The tribal governments have released little information and aren’t subject to federal and state disclosure laws as sovereign entities.
That means local outbreaks potentially are being left out of a metric the county considers in reopening decisions. Already, San Diego fails to stay under the threshold for outbreaks set by public health officials.
The casinos began reopening in May with new cleaning, social distancing and face covering policies, but some of their employees have raised concerns.
In late August, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched an investigation into Harrah’s Resort Southern California in Valley Center following a complaint. The case remains open and no further public details are available.
The casino also is involved in a lawsuit brought by its former general manager, who says he was so concerned about health risks from reopening that he had no choice but to quit.
Over the past two months, inewsource visited seven of the county’s nine tribal casinos. At each establishment, workers used handheld devices, thermal cameras or body scanners to check body temperatures of people entering the casinos.
Some casinos have disabled every other slot machine to enforce social distancing and have shut down some table games. Attendants at table games that remain open wear protective gear, and some casinos have installed plexiglass barriers.
Many, but not all, indoor restaurants and food courts have fully reopened. Guests are allowed to pull down their face coverings when drinking, eating or smoking.
Each business had varying levels of enforcement and open activities. Pala Casino Spa Resort in North County, for example, has reduced its transportation program but continues to bus in guests from throughout Southern California. Online it’s selling tickets to concerts.
Employees at three of the county’s casinos said the new protocols aren’t always followed. inewsource agreed not to name them because they feared losing their jobs.
Mask policies are difficult to enforce with guests, they said, and crowds can form around table games and slot machines despite social distancing efforts. Some said their management isn’t providing them any information about cases linked to their workplace.
One employee at the Sycuan Casino Resort in East County said she prays for her health before each shift.
“I cannot just let my job go because I’m scared,” she said. “I’m scared, but I’m there. I need the money. If I don’t have the job, I can’t afford my house. Then I’ll be living on the streets with my kids.”
With the exception of Sycuan, casino officials declined to comment for this story, did not respond or referred a reporter to safety policies posted online. In a May 8 letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, county Supervisor Greg Cox and other officials, eight of the gaming tribes explained their decision to reopen, saying they believed they could ensure the well being of guests and employees and scale back if needed.
They also reminded the officials that the casinos are a “lifeline” for funding essential tribal government operations including police, fire, healthcare, education, housing and environmental protections.
Juggling economic, safety concerns
In mid-August, when an inewsource reporter was invited to tour Sycuan with a casino official, once-furloughed employees rehired as “safety agents” walked the floor reminding guests to cover their faces and provided a mask if they didn’t have one.
Most complied. One maskless woman waved the offer away and kept walking, despite prodding.
It was the first day of a new self-imposed rule requiring robust masks following research suggesting bandanas, gaiters and coverings with valves were less effective at limiting the spread of coronavirus respiratory droplets. The Barona, Viejas and Valley View casinos have adopted similar policies.
Eddie Ilko, Sycuan’s safety manager, said the mask policies have been a “learning curve” for guests and employees. He said the casino has worked with tribal regulatory officials and leaders to adapt as the pandemic continues.
Ilko said he feels safe on the casino floor because of the measures.
“We're safer because a lot of the history Indian Country has had, so we've had to be above and beyond whatever the local and state regulations are,” he said.
Some of the casinos have posted online that they are hiring. In their letter to Newsom and other officials about reopening, the casinos said they support “tens of thousands” of San Diegans economically.
Casino Nj Covid Online Casino
Tribal casinos generated $4.4 billion in direct and indirect economic spending in Southern California in 2014, according to the latest available report from the California Nations Indian Gaming Association. They directly employed 24,100 people.
The casinos’ financial losses from the roughly two months they were closed when Newsom ordered businesses to shut down aren’t publicly known.
But in California, preliminary figures show employment by gambling industries dropped 41% in the state from March through August. Employment by Indian tribes, including at casinos they manage directly, dropped by 14% during the same period.
Casino Nj Covid 19
Since the casinos reopened, county public health officials say 112 employees and 196 patrons
with confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses visited a local casino within 14 days of their illness. The 308 cases are as of Oct. 5 and include three people who died.
Ninety-one of the cases have been reported since Sept. 1.
Casino Nj Covid Sports Betting
County public health officials stress that a person’s presence at a casino during the potential exposure period does not mean that’s where they got the virus. Officials also haven’t made any definitive connections between a casino employee and a patron, county spokesperson Sarah Sweeney said.
Whether any of the cases amounted to a community outbreak is unknown.
Throughout the county, public health officials have identified 47 community outbreaks in the past week, with 17 of them reported on Wednesday. Since March 25, the county has recorded 406 outbreaks.
The state defines an outbreak at a workplace as three or more probable or confirmed COVID-19 cases that are linked but from different households. Outbreaks are one of 13 metrics local public health officials consider when setting reopening policies, along with case rates, hospitalizations, contact tracing and other factors.
County officials have generally refused to name any specific business or location when identifying community outbreaks, instead providing a running total and grouping them into categories such as restaurants, grocery stores and private residences. The Voice of San Diego, KPBS and The San Diego Union-Tribune have sued for the information.
In addition to excluding outbreaks on tribal lands, the county also excludes those on military land.
Nj Casino Covid Cases
Even without counting any community outbreaks at casinos, the county for months has exceeded the threshold local public health officials set. They have said they could take action if more than seven new outbreaks occur within a week, regardless of other state metrics.
Despite consistently failing to meet the outbreak metric, the county hasn’t scaled back reopening even as the number of community outbreaks spike. Officials instead are relying on what the state weighs in its criteria: case rate and test positivity.
Casino employees get few COVID-19 details
Casinos have varied in their decisions to share COVID-19 case numbers with workers.
Sycuan employees told inewsource they regularly receive reports about personnel who have tested positive and how many have recovered and returned to work. But employees at Harrah’s said they haven’t received any official communications and have only learned about possible cases through word of mouth or if a supervisor told them they had come into contact with someone who tested positive.
A Harrah’s worker said he spoke with his wife about how they would quarantine away from each other in case he contracted the virus after working a busy Labor Day weekend.
“It’s not the kind of thing where I feel like I’m in immediate danger, but I definitely feel like my health has been compromised,” he said.
Tribes are generally protective of their data, including during the pandemic, said Vanesscia Cresci, research and public health director at the California Rural Indian Health Board.
She said she knows tribal members in other areas of the country who have received racist backlash from surrounding communities after their COVID-19 cases were publicized.
“We don't publicly report it either because we are also very respectful of tribal sovereignty, and if they choose to report it that's up to them,” Cresci said.
In response to the pandemic, the county has signed memorandums of understanding with three of the region’s 17 tribal governments: Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, Pala Band of Mission Indians and Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians.
The three tribes and the county agreed to share information about infectious diseases and outbreaks. The agreements also name a public health officer for each tribe, one of whom is a fire chief, another a risk management director and another a tribal chairman.
A county spokesperson said officials expect to finalize agreements with all of the tribes.
inewsource is an independent investigative journalism organization embedded in the KPBS newsroom. It is a nonprofit 501(c)3 supported by foundations, philanthropists and its own separate membership base.
FEATURED PODCAST
San Diego news; when you want it, where you want it. Get local stories on politics, education, health, environment, the border and more. New episodes are ready weekday mornings. Hosted by Anica Colbert and produced by KPBS, San Diego and the Imperial County's NPR and PBS station.
Want more KPBS news?
Find us on Twitter and Facebook, or sign up for our newsletters. + Subscribe to our podcasts
To view PDF documents, Download Acrobat Reader.
More Like This
Ex-Harrah’s Executive Sues After Resigning Over Valley Center Casino Reopening
- Sep. 4, 2020
Casino Pauma To Remain Closed, Bucking Local Tribal Casino Trend
- May. 20, 2020
Sycuan Casino To Reopen, Three More San Diego County Casinos Will Follow
- May. 20, 2020
Latest News
San Diego County Restaurants Exempt From State's COVID-19 Restrictions, Judge Rules
County Reports 2,604 New Cases 22 Deaths As Hospitalizations Continue To Rise
After 37 Years, Woman Who Founded Sushi Deli Restaurants Retires
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS/AP) — Gov. Phil Murphy is essentially shutting down the state of New Jersey as the number of coronavirus cases jumped to 178 in the Garden State. All of New Jersey’s public and private schools, along with colleges and universities, will close indefinitely starting Wednesday, while bars, restaurants and casinos will shutter at 8 p.m. on Monday.
“Today, I am signing an executive order stating that effective Wednesday, March 18, all New Jersey schools will be closed. And while this closure will be for at least two weeks, they will remain closed until such time as it is deemed by health officials to be safe for them to reopen,” Murphy said.
BREAKING: New Jersey reporting 80 new cases of #coronavirus. There is now a total of 178 cases in the state, ranging in age from 5-93 years.
— Jessica Kartalija (@JessKartalija) March 16, 2020
Murphy is mobilizing the National Guard after 80 new cases were announced. There is now a total of 178 COVID-19 cases ranging in age from 5 to 93.
The state is setting up testing sites as soon as possible.
“We will do this the right way, the responsible way,” Murphy said.
To slow the spread of #COVID19, I'm ordering:
•Closure of ALL pre-K, K-12 schools, higher ed insts. beginning 3/18
•Closure of ALL casinos, racetracks, theaters, gyms
•Closure of ALL non-essential retail, recreational, & entertainment bizs after 8pm
•Banning gatherings of 50+ pic.twitter.com/mmZe0bZWgb
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) March 16, 2020
Murphy says the overall educational needs and free meals will be met for students and that bars and restaurants can remain open for takeout or delivery only.
Essential businesses like supermarkets and gas stations will be able to stay open after 8 p.m., though all non-essential businesses must close.
“With all we are seeing in our state – and across our nation and around the world – the time for us to take our strongest, and most direct, actions to date to slow the spread of coronavirus is now. I’ve said many times over the past several days that, in our state, we are going to get through this as one New Jersey family. But if we’re all in this together, we must work with our neighboring states to act together. The work against coronavirus isn’t just up to some of us, it’s up to all of us,” Murphy said.
Murphy told residents to take the threat from the virus seriously — calling out people over the weekend who frequented bars and pubs to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. He also added that people should not panic.
“This is not a time for selfishness. This is a time to think of those around you,” he said. “There are some people out there who think this is fake news. This is not fake news. This is real.”
Murphy is prohibiting gatherings of 50 or more people, lining up with federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations.
Murphy says it’s not a curfew but he is asking people not to travel between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m.
“Starting tonight, all non-essential and non-emergency travel in New Jersey is strongly discouraged between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. This will remain in effect for the foreseeable future. We want everyone to be home – and not out,” Murphy said.
The DMV has also closed its offices for the next two weeks.
There are currently 17 coronavirus cases in South Jersey — including six in Mercer County, five in Burlington County, and three each in Camden and Ocean Counties.
In the city of Burlington, students can still receive breakfast and lunch each morning weekday at Wilbur Watts School, Burlington City High School and LIFE Four Corners Daycare.
CBS3’s Lesley Van Arsdall contributed to this report.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)