Red Hawk Casino In Placerville Plans To Reopen June 1 With Safety Precautions
PLACERVILLE (CBS13) — About two months after shutting its doors due to the coronavirus, Red Hawk Casino announced Tuesday it will be reopening June 1 with additional safety precautions.
The Placerville casino is set to open at 10 a.m. on June 1. In a press release Tuesday, the casino said "The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians tribal leadership and casino management team have been in close contact with appropriate agencies regarding the latest guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and will be including a stringent list of precautions in order to reopen for casino guests to enjoy their favorite games."
El Dorado County was granted permission by the state to move through stage 2 of reopening more quickly last week. Casinos are not included in stage 2. Health officials have acknowledged tribes are sovereign authorities and not subject to state and local restrictions on operating amid the coronavirus outbreak.
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Despite the easing of restrictions, Gov. Gavin Newsom had reportedly urged tribes to reconsider opening casinos this early. Casinos were named as one of the businesses as part of the third phase of reopening, which the state has not moved into at this point.
Some of the new safety precautions include asking guests to maintain six feet of social distancing, requiring temperature checks for guests and staff at all entrances, and requiring face coverings for guests and employees.
The casino is also reducing the number of open slot machines and seats at table games.
Additionally, Red Hawk said they are implementing casino-wide chip cleaning and retraining staff on proper handwashing and sanitizing.