Hon-Dah Resort Casino Shut Down Due to Employees’ Virus Cases

The Hon-Dah Resort Casino in Pinetop, Arizona, announced Sunday the gaming establishment would be suspending temporarily operations. The White Mountain Apache Tribe which operates the casino decided to close the gaming venue after two of its staff tested positive for coronavirus.

Second Closure

According to the news release from the tribe, the gambling venue would temporarily close effective Sunday at 10pm, while the hotel would follow suit on Monday, October 19, after check-out time. There was no detail as to when the casino resort will resume operations, besides that the management of the complex would work with health officials to determine when it would be safe for employees and guests to re-open.

“We are acting swiftly to protect the health, safety, and welfare of our employees and our customers. At Hon-Dah, we put our people and community’s needs first.”

Brent Kurth, General Manager, Hon-Dah Resort Casino

The Hon-Dah casino is suspending operations due to falling short in staff, as two of its employees gave positive tests for the coronavirus, requiring others to go into self-quarantine. The White Mountain Apache Tribe’s public health regulations require anyone known for being exposed to positive cases self-quarantine for 14 days to make sure, in case they are infected, do not spread the virus further, regardless of their test result.

Safety Remains a Priority

The tribe informed there was no customer reported being positive for COVID-19, yet one of the two members of staff who tested positive was in contact with employees serving the public, and the tribe advised anyone who felt symptoms of the disease to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for treatment and self-quarantine.

The casino management also told the public all of its team members had already or would undergo tests for the coronavirus this week, and the decision to re-open the gambling venue would be taken in cooperation with public health officials, once they determine the resumption of operations would not pose risks to employees and guests of the casino.

The announcement for the new temporary closure comes almost two months after the casino resort re-opened for the public in August, after being shut down since March 20. By that time the tribe reported a decline in the amount of new daily cases, but the recent spike in the numbers is causing another setback for the gaming establishment.

The tribe is prepared to enforce more weekend lockdown measures and stay-at-home order in case the number of new cases for 3 consecutive days jumps above 45, according to a previous statement from the tribe’s Chairwoman Gwendelina Lee-Gatewood. On Monday, a facebook post by the tribal emergency center warned tribal members to prepare for a possible lockdown and ensure enough supplies of food, water and medication.