Oneida Indian Nation plans to reopen its three casinos on June 10

VERONA, N.Y. — The Oneida Indian Nation announced Tuesday that it is targeting June 10 to reopen its three casinos — Turning Stone in Verona, Point Place in Bridgeport, and Yellow Brick Road Casino in Chittenango — on a limited basis.

The Nation says it picked that date for a phased reopening of hospitality and gaming operations after monitoring the reopening of businesses in Central New York, with “specific attention” to the metrics New York State and the local counties have published on a daily basis. The Central New York and Mohawk Valley regions started phase one of their economic reopening on May 15.

The Oneida Nation closed its three casinos on March 16.

The June 10 target date for reopening will allow the Oneida Indian Nation’s enterprises to “assess updated metrics and consider other regional openings before the relaunch,” per its Tuesday news release.

The Oneida Indian Nation has developed a reopening health and safety plan titled “Safer Together,” which adopts the “best practices” from gaming and hospitality venues throughout the world. It also incorporates input from regional partners, including neighboring municipalities.

“The comprehensive plan we have developed for the limited reopening of our operations is based on guidelines and input from public health experts to make certain that — as always — our policies prioritize the health and safety of our employees, guests and broader community,” Ray Halbritter, Oneida Indian Nation representative and Oneida Nation Enterprises CEO, said. “We are grateful to Oneida and Madison County leadership for their ongoing coordination through this process as we work to reopen our operations and bring back our employees in the safest way possible.”

Plan elements

As outlined in “Safer Together,” the Oneida Indian Nation is introducing newly added health measures.

For example, access to facilities will be limited to guests who travel from within 120 miles “to support public efforts to limit the spread among regions,” the Oneida Nation said. It’ll deploy an identification verification system to “aid contact tracing if it becomes necessary.”

The Oneida Nation won’t offer concerts or shows in the showroom or event center until mass gatherings are permitted “without undue risk.”

The organization is also requiring face coverings for employees, guests, vendors and the public — “wherever feasible” throughout our facilities.

It’s also requiring gloves for all employees who are working in direct contact with guests, including in all restaurants, at registration desks and on the gaming floors.

The Oneida Nation will give all employees entering the workplace daily non-invasive thermal temperature checks and brief survey questions to identify potential exposure to coronavirus.

In addition, all restaurants and bars will have at least six feet of separation between tables. Buffets or other self-service food options will remain closed, and there will be no self-service food available in any of the Players’ Lounges or banquet rooms.

The Oneida Nation also says it will deploy “enhanced cleaning” across all enterprises.

“I have closely reviewed the detailed reopening plan put together by the Oneida Indian Nation and found it to be thorough and measured,” Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, Jr. said in the release. “What the Nation has proposed, prioritizes safety first for all visitors and employees along with the need to reopen the local economy for the benefit of all Oneida County residents.”

Madison County Chairman John Becker also expressed support for the Oneida Indian Nation’s plan for reopening operations:

“It is time to get our community back to work and reopened. Madison County is currently in Phase 1 of reopening. As long as a business has a plan in place to ensure the safety of their employees as well as their patrons, that business should be allowed to reopen. The Oneida Indian Nation businesses are important to our local economy. Many of their employees have been out of work for months, and it is time to get those individuals back to work so they can get back on their feet. I have faith that the Oneida Indian Nation has the safety and health of their employees and patrons as their top priority as they get ready to open their doors.”