Red Hawk Casino stays open with COVID-19 prevention changes amid coronavirus outbreak
The Red Hawk Casino in El Dorado County remained open for business Monday afternoon amid the coronavirus outbreak in the Sacramento region. Casino officials were telling guests changes to their operations were being made as part of COVID-19 prevention.
“We are taking all precautions to protect our guests and team members during this time,” Red Hawk Casino CEO Bryan deLugo said in a news release posted on the casino’s website Sunday.
Emily Cady, a Red Hawk Casino spokeswoman, said Monday afternoon that the casino in Placerville was still open and precautionary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus remained in place.
Casinos throughout the state are deciding whether to stay open amid calls for social distancing and avoiding large crowds to slow the spread of coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 respiratory illness.
Cache Creek Casino Resort in Yolo County on Sunday evening was the first Northern California tribal casino to close. Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Placer County is postponing all its concerts for the rest of this month, closing its nightclub and lobby bar and laying off 85 workers as a result of the coronavirus spread. The Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort in Amador County will close Wednesday and remain closed through April 1.
The casino’s CEO has said they have temporarily waived the minimum hours worked requirements for employees to maintain health care benefit eligibility.
“We have waived all deductibles, co-payments and co-insurance for medically necessary screening and testing for the coronavirus at Kaiser Permanente owned and operated hospitals, emergency rooms, medical offices and urgent care facilities,” deLugo said in the news release.
He also said that casino employees who miss work “will receive their base rate of pay during the absence” if it’s because they or a dependent is diagnosed with coronavirus or they are required to be quarantined
Red Hawk Casino has suspended upcoming live music performances at the Stage Bar, along with invitational VIP dining events scheduled for April 4 and 25. The casino suspended motorcoach programs and is minimizing the Sacramento-area free shuttle service.
The regular free daily slot tournaments were suspended through the end of this month. The Waterfall Buffet will close starting Wednesday through the end of March.
The casino also is limiting open slot machines and seating at table games. Casino officials said they are taking these precautionary measures in response to the recent recommendations from the California Department of Public Health.
Casino staff use EPA-approved, hospital-grade disinfectants, and the casino has added more hand sanitizing stations, according to the news release. The casino also is cleaning all of its chips and changing playing cards more frequently, along with sanitizing card-shufflers and dealing shoes more often.
Casino officials said they’ve increased the frequency of cleaning and sanitizing other commonly touched surfaces. Food and beverage casino staff have been retrained, they said, and employees are increasing the frequency of proper hand washing and sanitizing procedures.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 7:29 PM.
