June 1 re-opening date for Connecticut tribal casinos

The two giant tribal casino resorts in the eastern American state of Connecticut have reportedly announced that they will be partially re-opening from June 1 after being temporarily shuttered some nine weeks ago in response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

According to a Wednesday report from local television broadcaster WCVB-TV, the 1,563-room Mohegan Sun and even larger Foxwoods Resort Casino are to revive gaming operations under a strict set of new safety measures that will encompass the use of infrared temperature scanners at all public entrances.

Coronavirus safeguards:

The broadcaster reported that the Foxwoods Resort Casino is run by the federally-recognized Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and will be joining with its compatriot to require all guests to wear protective face masks. The 2,228-room venue in the small eastern Connecticut community of Mashantucket is to also purportedly regularly replace the tiles, cards and dice used at gaming tables and ensure that communal surfaces such as hand rails, elevator buttons and slot machine screens are ‘frequently cleaned.’

Less than ten miles away in the village of Uncasville and the Mohegan Sun, which is operated by the Mohegan Tribe, reportedly detailed that both properties are to moreover keep their concert venues, poker rooms and buffet restaurants closed and forbid out-of-state tour groups from bringing in visitors via bus.

Area attention:

James Gessner, Chairman for the Mohegan Tribe, reportedly told WCVB-TV that the two venues are to furthermore run their variety of in-house restaurants as takeaway establishments and temporarily refrain from marketing their services to potential guests in the neighboring states of Massachusetts and New York.

Gubernatorial condemnation:

The news was reportedly not welcomed by everyone with Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont calling the re-opening move ‘incredibly risky.’ The 66-year-old Democrat purportedly urged the tribes to reconsider their decisions before revealing that he will now be working to discourage people from visiting either venue until the threat of coronavirus has passed.

Lamont reportedly stated…

“I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that we put public health first.”