Operator News
US – As Oregon casino closes, Nevada braces itself for coronavirus
By Phil - 4 March 2020
With the Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Oregon closing temporarily ‘out of an abundance of caution’ after one of its workers is thought to have contracted the coronavirus, casinos in neighbouring Las Vegas have warned that an outbreak would damage its revenues.
The Wildhorse case, the third in the state, was described by Health Officials as being
‘presumptive positive’ meaning a positive test at the Public Health Laboratory is pending confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Wildhorse’s owners, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), said the casino would be closed for a ‘thorough and deep cleaning.’
“In an abundance of caution, Wildhorse Resort & Casino will close immediately to complete a thorough and deep cleaning as a response to reports of a presumptive positive case of Covid-19. Updates will be posted at wildhorseresort.com regarding the reopening schedule. The closure includes the casino, convention center, hotel, Cineplex, Children’s Entertainment Center, and restaurants. All activities are cancelled including casino promotions and events until further notice,” said an official statement.
Oregon’s neighbouring state of Nevada has warned that travel restrictions on Chinese visitors will obviously affect business.
Wynn Resorts said: “The US government has put in place restrictions on travel to the US from mainland China, and could expand the restrictions. A significant portion of our US business relies on the willingness and ability of premium international customers to travel to the US, including from mainland China. As such, our Las Vegas operations and operations at Encore Boston Harbor may also be adversely impacted.”
Ihsan Azzam, Chief Medical Officer for the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health, said whilst there have not been any confirmed cases of corona virus in Nevada, it was just a matter of time.
He said: “It’s a question of time when we know that it’s already community-spread in our neighbouring states. We are going to do our best to ensure the safety of our community and we wish that everybody would be prepared. It’s not a question of if. It’s when.”
