In March of 2020, the United States began to look a bit different. Businesses like casinos, hotels and restaurants began to close due to the outbreak of Covid-19. State by state, shut down orders were put in place to keep people at home and hopefully slow the spread of the deadly virus. After only a few weeks, states began to relax their stay at home orders. It took some time, but casinos began to reopen with stipulations in place.
For some casinos, they required masks among employees, but guests were able to visit without a face covering. Casinos did encourage guests to wear face masks and even provided them. But for the most part, visitors were not using the face coverings. This led to many local and state governments to walk back their initial requirements and make guests wear a mask when visiting. In the state of Mississippi, any visitor to a gulf coast gaming venue will have to wear one or will not be allowed inside.
Face Mask Wearing
The CDC and other health experts say that wearing a face mask helps to cut down on the spread of the coronavirus. With the virus, there are people who are asymptomatic. This means they do not show signs of the virus and can easily infect others. By wearing a face mask, an individual that might be infected will not spread the virus as quickly as they would without wearing one.
In Mississippi, the Harrah’s casino and the Beau Rivage were the first to reopen and require that their guests were a mask. The state’s Gaming Commission has now come to the conclusion that masks should be worn by guests of all 12 casinos. This includes those on the coast as well as throughout the state.
The directive was announced yesterday when the state saw 871 cases of the virus reported in the state. The mask order begins today at 8pm. The order says that guidance from the State Health Officer, masks are to be worn to reduce the spread of the virus. All people inside the casino property must wear a mask that covers their face and nose.
Patrons can remove the mask they are wearing but only temporarily while eating and drinking. They must also remove their mask if an employee requests identification.
Additional Measures
For the Mississippi casinos, staff and visitors will have their temperature checked before they can enter a venue. Casinos must also offer hand sanitization stations and provide distancing measures at the table games as well as in-between slot machines.
Employees are asked to stay home if they are experiencing symptoms of the sickness. If they arrive at work and have a fever, they will be asked to leave. They must go get tested to see if they have the coronavirus.
The casinos in Mississippi are well-prepared and ready to tackle any guests who do not want to adhere to their guidelines. Individuals who do not follow the rules, especially when it comes to wearing a mask, will be warned. If they still do not comply, they will be asked to leave.
