We do not know if Mr. Washington contracted the virus at work.But our testing program did identify his infection, and our contact tracing program has confirmed that no co-workers who were in contact with him during the short time he was back on the job have tested positive,\u201d the tribal statement read.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
While the casinos are closed, staff members and management will determine if the current wave of cases subsides and re-evaluate how to conduct daily gaming operations.<\/p>\n
Tribal leaders will also use updated information from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Arizona Department of Health Services to revise its policies and practices.<\/p>\n
No Reopening Until Deemed Safe<\/h2>\n Thursday\u2019s statement said the closure would last two weeks. However, on Friday, Gila River said the casinos will stay shuttered until the review is complete, and tribal leaders, along with public health experts, \u201cdeem it safe\u201d to open.<\/p>\n
\u201cLife is sacred to our people. We will do all we can to protect it,\u201d<\/strong> the statement concluded.<\/p>\nOn Thursday, tribal officials said employees will be paid during the two-week period and receive full health care benefits. Gila River spokeswoman Taeya Vicente told Casino.org<\/em> Friday night tribal leaders have only approved paying workers for the first two weeks.<\/p>\n“After that, it will be re-evaluated by the Gila River Tribal Council,” she said in a text message.<\/p>\n
\n
The Gila River casinos reopened on May 15 after being closed for nearly two months by the pandemic. When they resumed operations more than a month ago, they limited capacity to 50 percent. Among the policies the casinos established in reopening include adding distance between machines, installing plexiglass dividers between slots and table games, eliminating poker rooms at Wild Horse Pass and Vee Quiva, and restricting all bingo sessions at Vee Quiva to just 210 players and three players per table. Lone Butte’s bingo hall remained closed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The casinos also partnered with gaming manufacturer IGT to use new technology notifying staff when a machine needed cleaning.<\/p>\n
The casinos were among the first in the nation to reopen, and now appear to be the first to close for a second time. The American Gaming Association has already factored in the reclosures on its casino online tracking map. As of Friday, only 255 of the country\u2019s 989 tribal and commercial casinos remain closed.<\/p>\n
While the casino opened last month, the hotels at Wild Horse Pass and Vee Quiva did not open their hotels until this week. According to the release, all hotel reservations through July 19 will be canceled and refunded.<\/p>\n
Daughter Hopes “Hearts” Can Change<\/h2>\n Washington\u2019s daughter has been outspoken about her father\u2019s death, and those comments continued on social media Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI appreciate the prayers for my family, but we should also pray for the people in power to change their hearts,\u201d <\/strong>Lina Washington tweeted Friday in response to the Gila River statement. \u201cBecause it took the death of a beloved AZ community member, father, son & husband for anyone to seemingly give a damn about the safety of employees & patrons at casinos.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nRobert Washington is scheduled to be laid to rest Sunday in a \u201csocially distant celebration\u201d of his life, she said in a separate message.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Three Arizona tribal casinos closed for the second time in three months on Thursday, with COVID-19 once again the reason for the shutdown. Gila River Gaming Enterprises, Inc. said in a statement Thursday its Wild Horse Pass, Lone Butte, and Vee Quiva hotels and casinos locked the doors early Thursday morning \u201cto reassess its current […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":139307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Gila River Closes Ariz. Casinos Again as COVID-19 Cases Soar Statewide<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n