Casinos to reopen July 12 as COVID-19 restrictions ease
Navajo Times | Donovan Quintero
A sign instructing casino patrons to adhere to the COVID-19 safety precautions is posted at the Twin Arrows Casino. The casino will reopen on Monday at 50% capacity and masks will be required.
WINDOW ROCK
Twin Arrows Casino is reopening on Monday, 15 months after it was shut down last spring.
Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise CEO Brian Parrish said on Wednesday the forced closure caused by the coronavirus pandemic was “a long wait.”
The ban on non-residents of the Navajo Nation also is lifted.
The coronavirus was first reported in the Navajo Nation on March 17, 2020, when the tribe’s four casinos were closed.
“It’s been 15 months,” Parrish said. “We’re very excited about this opportunity to reconnect with all of our patrons. On August 1, we’re going to have a grand reopening for all of our properties.”
Masks are required while inside the casinos. Temperatures would be checked as well, along with showing a government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license, before gaining entry into the casinos.
As of Thursday, the Navajo Department of Health reported 31,067 positive cases and 1,357 deaths in the Nation. A nightly curfew from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. remains in effect until further notice.
Parrish said 80% of all casino employees have been vaccinated. Currently, NDOH is reporting 118,766 Navajo people have been fully vaccinated and 247,008 doses were administered.
“We’re continuing to screen all of our patrons, all of our team members,” he said. “We’re conducting tests of all of our team members every two weeks. And we’re also educating our team about the importance of getting vaccinated.”
The reopening phase, including the Twin Arrows hotel, will operate at a 50% capacity, said Parrish. The buffet will remain closed.
Fire Rock Casino and Northern Edge Casino reopened on a limited basis on March 19, operating at 25% capacity.
“We’re hoping the Navajo Nation leadership will extend the curfew or lift the curfew in the next week,” Parrish said. “We’re starting off with fifty percent capacity and we’re gonna stick with that until the nation transitions from the yellow stage to the green stage.”
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow