Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) has announced the temporary suspension of operations at Calder Casino in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The closure followed a Miami-Dade county emergency order issued by Mayor Carlos Gimenez, requiring the closure of entertainment venues including casinos, in an effort to control the rise in cases of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19).
Calder Casino closed its doors in March, alongside most of the nation’s casinos as the US went into quarantine. CDI then began reopening its venues in June across several states, in line with its ‘CDI 360 Degree Approach to Safety’.
The operator’s new safety protocols included frequent cleaning and sanitizing of high-touch surfaces, mandatory temperature checks for guests and staff and the provision of proper personal protective equipment.
However, some four weeks later, Calder has been forced to close again in the context of still-rising numbers of Covid-19 infections in the county.
“I am rolling back the reopening of entertainment facilities, such as movie theaters, arcades, casinos, adult entertainment, concert houses, bowling alleys and other (indoor) establishments that have recently had their plans approved by the county,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said.
The closures will not affect tribal-owned casinos, which are not under the jurisdiction of local authorities. Casinos such as the Miccosukee Resort & Gaming venue continue to serve customers.
Several new social distancing and protection measures have been brought in across the US in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic. Last month, casinos in Las Vegas adopted a policy of compulsory mask-wearing for customers playing table games.
More recently, MGM and Caesars made a commitment to ensure face masks were compulsory for all visitors to their venues in every state.
Topics such as these will be discussed by leading names in the US casino industry for ICE North America’s new webinar series, ‘The Road Back’.
Discussions on post-pandemic health and safety, customer experience, the economic impact of Covid-19 and more will take place on Tuesday July 7, Wednesday July 8 and Thursday July 9 from 15:30-16:30 UTC.
Register for ‘The Road Back’ webinar series here.