SHAWNEE, Okla. (KFOR) – Grand Casino Hotel and Resort will reopen on Friday, May 22, but it will operate at 50 percent capacity.
There won’t be table games yet, and at the machines, every other chair is removed for social distancing.
“We want to take it slow and be very cautious,” general manager Joe Garcia said.
Precautions begin at the door.
Every person gets their temperature taken.
Masks are required, and they will be provided for those who don’t have one.
Once inside, there are signs and markers everywhere reminding patrons to socially distance.
Rampant disinfecting also takes place.
“As soon as somebody gets done [at a machine], we have a housekeeping station at each section, so as soon as they see someone getting out of their seats, they’ll instruct them to go sanitize and disinfect that slot machine,” Garcia said.
The casino has been closed for about two months, and Garcia says they’ve been cleaning the whole time.
“We constantly just clean, clean clean. I think everything’s been cleaned so much that some of the [newness] has worn off,” he said.
The space utilizes an air filtration system.
There’s also a separate section for people over 60 years of age.
“A secluded area for them if they want to come out and have a good time— good clean fun,” Garcia said.
Of course, nothing is without concern.
An employee at Lucky Star Casino recently tested positive for COVID-19.
“If we get somebody that has an exposure or turns positive for COVID [at Grand Casino], we give them instructions on how to get the appropriate testing and immediately quarantine,” George Adam Vascellaro, Chief Medical Officer for Citizen Potawatomi Nation Health Services, said.
Management says they’re ready to get back in the game.
“We have a lot of loyal customers waiting to get in the door, so I think we’re going to expect a good crowd,” Garcia said.
