Pa Casinos Reopen

Pittsburgh’s Rivers Casino and the Meadows Racetrack & Casino reopened last Tuesday after receiving state approval to do so, as the southwestern part of the state has been less affected by COVID-19 spread than eastern Pennsylvania. Lady Luck Nemacolin in Fayette County followed with a reopening Friday. COVID-19 CASINO REOPENING PROTOCOLS May 19, 2020 Pennsylvania’s twelve operating casinos closed in Mid-March 2020 due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which has endangered the health of people throughout the world, caused economic distress and placed thousands of Pennsylvania’s casino-related employees in unemployed status. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Wednesday released a 10-page document containing minimum protocols for the state’s casino operators to follow as they begin to reopen their properties. The protocols aim to curb the advance of the coronavirus. Both casino employees and patrons will be required to wear face masks on the gaming floor. Pennsylvania casinos are set to reopen their doors today (Monday 4 January), following a mandatory three week suspension as governor Tom Wolf and secretary of health Dr Rachel Levine unveiled new COVID protective mitigation efforts last month.

Restaurants, bars, gyms and casinos reopened Monday morning at a still-limited capacity when Pennsylvania’s most recent set of covid-19 restrictions expired at 8 a.m. The restrictions, started Dec.

Pennsylvania gamblers will be able to head to two of Penn National Gaming casinos at 8 a.m. Monday as Gov. Tom Wolf’s three-week temporary closure that began Dec. 12 expires.

Wolf made the announcement Wednesday. He said he would lift the temporary restrictions because the number of positive coronavirus cases declined during that window.

Casinos were among a list of businesses told to close their doors, despite pushback from casino executives, who cited in a letter to Wolf the day before the closure announcement that their industry generates “more than $1.5 billion in annual tax revenue and invests more than $500 million in goods and services every year with businesses across the Commonwealth.”

Penn National Gaming on Wednesday confirmed at least two casinos will reopen at 8 a.m. on Jan. 4: Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County and The Meadows Casino and Racetrack in Washington County.

“With what are perhaps the most rigorous COVID mitigation measures of any business in the Commonwealth, we are pleased to welcome both our customers and more than one thousand team members back to our facilities,” Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Government Relations Eric Schippers said Wednesday. “For Pennsylvanians who enjoy casino gaming, we know that having patrons back in the Commonwealth’s highly regulated casinos is safer than having Pennsylvanians travel to out-of-state casinos or patronize illegal skill slot machine locations where there is no regulatory or COVID safety monitoring.”

But, there are still rules to follow, Wolf said.

Entertainment venues such as casinos, theaters and museums can reopen, but they are limited to 50 percent of their indoor occupancy limits.

Gyms, fitness centers, and spas can resume indoor activities but are limited to 50 percent of indoor occupancy limits. Appointments are encouraged and the state is asking those facilities to put an emphasis on outdoor activities.

Not everyone was excited about the lifting of the restrictions.

“I know it’s very hard for the governor to balance business with public health, but I wish we could stay under restrictions longer,” Melissa Nicholson, executive director of the Gamut Theatre Group, said. “While Gamut is located in Harrisburg, I live in northern Dauphin County and very few businesses adhered to the restrictions to begin with. So frustrating when we are trying to get this thing under control so that we can all open our businesses again.”

The theatre hasn’t had any live performances since November when it went fully virtual.

“Gamut Theatre uses a Risk Assessment tool that is a lot more stringent than most, and we monitor cases per capita several times a week,” she said. “Our best guess is that we might be able to provide in-person programming again in late March or April pending our risk assessment.”

Nicholson said she is nervous about what’s to come in 2021 but also optimistic.

“The creation of a successful vaccine this quickly is an amazing accomplishment from the science and medical community,” she said. “Now, I hope we can distribute it in a timely way. Our business depends on it.”

While the casts and crews of several upcoming performances anxiously await getting back on stage to be eye-to-eye with their audience, Nicholson said she hopes the pandemic has “shown a light on live theatre that maybe wasn’t there before.”

When Will Pa Casinos Open

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She added, “I am hoping that more people will find the joy in live performance, as opposed to television and computer screens when it is safe to enjoy it again. Theatre people are social creatures by nature, and we sure do miss everyone.”

The Susquehanna Art Museum is also not going to reopen Jan. 4, according to Executive Director Alice Anne Schwab.

“We have not decided when to reopen,” she said. “We closed during the spring and summer, and have now been closed a second time during the month of December. While the Museum’s spacious 18,500 square feet and five distinct exhibition areas do allow for natural social distancing, we are not jumping at reopening on Jan. 4. We may reopen later in January, but we do so with consideration of our essential staff and volunteers.”

Two of the Museum’s major exhibitions were extended with the hope that it will “allow more people to visit.” The Modernists was extended to May 16 and Sun + Light – an exhibition stimulated by the Freedom Rider movement of 1961 through to the present day – was extended until April 11.

Online opportunities for art enthusiasts “hungry for cultural infusion” are currently being developed.

As far as looking at 2021, Schwab said “there’s nowhere to go but up.”

“We are optimistic and hope for much better days ahead for all of us,” she said.

ALSO READ: With COVID-19 vaccines arriving, life could return to ‘normal’ by summer … maybe

BENSALEM, Pa. (CBS) — A Bucks County casino has announced its reopening plans as the county continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Parx Casino in Bensalem will reopen its doors to the public on Monday, June 29 at 9 a.m.

Slot machines and table games will be rearranged with limited seating and additional safety measures will be put in place in order to follow social distancing guidelines given by the CDC, Pennsylvania Health Department, and Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The poker room will be closed until further notice.

Parx Casino is also implementing new health and safety procedures to its existing protocols in order to meet health officials’ standards.

“The owners and operators of Parx Casino are focused on the well-being of all team members and guests and are working to create an environment with superior standards of cleanliness and social distancing practices,” a press release from the casino said.

Only select dining and bar options will be available with limited hours during the first phase of reopening.

The casino will be open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m., then beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday through 3 a.m. on Monday it will be on a 24-hour schedule.

In order to ensure social distancing guidelines:

• Guests will be limited to certain marked doors at each of the three main entrances.
• Guests will enter through doors that are either propped open, automated or manually opened by an employee.
• If the property reaches capacity, guests will wait outside in a sectioned off queues. The casino will dedicate a queue and entry for Elite and Premium XClub members.
• Guests will have their temperature checked with a contactless thermal camera or infrared thermometer upon entry. Any guest that registers a temperature at or above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit will be asked to take a secondary temperature screen in a non-invasive manner. If the second temperature check registers at or above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, the guest will not be allowed into the casino. If the guest denies the second temperature check, they will also be denied entry.
• Masks must be worn at all times while on the property and if a guest refuses to wear a mask they will be denied entry.

The casino says guests will also be advised to follow social distancing guidelines recommended by the CDC. Hand sanitizer stations will be placed at all the entrances and contact surfaces throughout the casino floor, restaurant entrances and service counters.

There will be health and hygiene signs displayed throughout the property.

When Are The Pa Casinos Reopening

The casino has also increased the amount of cleaning and sanitizing done throughout the property including door handles, bathrooms, ATMs, TRMs, kiosks, cage counters, gaming machines, gaming tables, dining surfaces and seating areas.

Will Pa Casinos Reopen

Employees will also be following enhanced safety procedures prior to their shift.