He was also told that he might lose his unemployment benefits because the casino would report to the state that the employee was offered work but refused. When he expressed this, he was told that if he refused, he would lose his health insurance at the end of the month. But the employee didn’t feel safe returning to such a crowded setting. He said a supervisor contacted him several days later calling him back to work. One employee in the food and beverage department at Viejas said he was shocked when he learned of the reopening from a post on the casino’s Facebook page. It’s a fact that’s not lost on some casino workers. Due to the number of people they employ and the number of visitors they attract, casinos are considered high-risk workplaces. But locations such as casinos weren’t slated to reopen until the state began progressing through Stage Three. Recently, Newsom loosened the state’s stay-at-home order to allow some businesses to reopen with modifications. Tribes across the region volunteered to shut down casino operations on March 20 shortly after county officials instituted a number of safety measures - like closing bars and limiting restaurants to take-out service - that were meant to curb the spread of COVID-19.Īlthough county residents are still catching the novel coronavirus and dying of it, the state’s stay-at-home order and local social-distancing measures have helped protect the county’s health care system from an overwhelming surge of cases, officials have said. “It’s our position not to comment,” San Pietro said. Tony San Pietro, a spokesperson for Viejas, had no comment Monday evening about the reopening, directing all questions to the casino’s COVID-19 website, which provides no details on issues such as cleaning frequency or enforcement. Harrah’s Resort in Valley Center announced Monday that it would reopen May 22. Viejas was the first to reopen, but Sycuan Casino Resort in El Cajon plans to reopen on Wednesday, and Valley View Casino & Resort in Valley Center is scheduled to welcome guests on Friday.

The tribes who run the casinos have sovereign authority and are within their rights to plan their own reopening - a fact both local and state officials have acknowledged. The county plans to closely monitor any potential outbreaks that may originate from the gaming venues. She added that she had not yet seen a reopening plan specific to Viejas.

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