Casinos shut down for 3 weeks

LOS ANGELES

The Navajo Gaming Enterprise announced Tuesday the closing of all four of its casinos for three weeks beginning at noon that day in response to the ever growing concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

The decision was made the day before by members of the enterprise’s board of directors in consultation with tribal leaders.

The closure did not come as a complete surprise as more than 20 tribal casinos across the U.S. had closed down the week before and dozens more were planning to close down temporarily this week.

With the way the virus was spreading and the fact it has now been reported in all 50 states, there’s a good possibility that all tribal casinos would be closed by next week.

There’s only been one case so far reported within the Navajo Nation and that person was in Kayena but all three of the tribe’s biggest casinos – especially Twin Arrows – are vulnerable to the virus because of customers who came from outside the region.

Twin Arrows, located right off Interstate 40, attracts a lot of truckers and individuals traveling from Southern California which has had more than 50 cases of the virus already reported.

Knowing this, the enterprise put out a press release last week explaining that it was taking extra precautions the upcoming weekend by having staff disinfect and clean all areas used by the public frequently throughout the weekend.

A number of other tribal casinos throughout the country were doing the same in hopes of alleviating concerns by players. Some casinos were limiting the number if players allowed at one time to avoid crowded conditions.

The extra precautions apparently did little to still the fears of potential players at Twin Arrows.

Brian Parrish, the interim CEO of the gaming enterprise, said attendance at casinos was higher than the year before through last Thursday. It softened a little on Friday and went down on the weekend so it was likely the casinos would have seen little business anyway if they stayed open.

Parrish said all 1,092 employees of the enterprise have been placed on administrative leave with pay for the entire three weeks. This will cost more than a million dollars but Parrish said the decision was necessary for the welfare of its employees.

It will also alleviate any concerns that employees may have had about how to pay their bills if the casinos had closed down.

Some staff will remain on duty, at least part time, since the enterprise plans to use the down time road to completely scrub down the interiors so that workers will have no concerns about coming back when the casinos open again.

The closures will also affect the hotel at the Twin Arrows Resort. The hotel will remain closed as long as the casino is.

While many if the guests at the hotel are there to play in the casino, the recognition of it as one of the top resorts in the Grand Canyon area attracts a lot of business as well.

Parrish said his staff is now working with people who have reservations for the time the hotel will be closed. Those who still plan on coming will be relocated to other hotels in the area.

Customers will also be given the option of choosing new dates without worrying about laying cancellation fees.

Although the closures are for three weeks, there is no guarantee they will be reopened at the end of that period.

“We’re taking it day by day,” said Parrish, who said that the board will continue to monitor the situation to see how the area is weathering the virus outbreak.

Tribal officials, as well as medical personnel dealing with the virus crisis, expect the number of cases in this area to increase in the coming days. What enterprise officials are hoping to see is the number of new cases peaking within the next two weeks and the numbers going down the week before the casinos are casinos are planning to reopen.

As it is now, government officials, both on and off the reservation, are urging people to stay at home as much as possible and not go anywhere there may be more than a few people.

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