Last Of Atlantic City’s 9 Casinos Reopens July 26 Amid Coronavirus Threat

Published: 15/07/2020

Reading Time: 4 Min

Image: Shutterstock

Borgata casino, the last of the nine casinos in Atlantic City, will start accepting back guests amid the threat of the novel coronavirus. Casinos in Atlantic City shut down on mid-March when the government mandated the stay-at-home order to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

State leaders are concerned as the number of new cases rises rapidly while casinos and other establishments operate.

Most of the casinos in the country resumed business after the government loosened restrictions to pave the way for economic activities to boost the breaking economy. The state ordered to follow health regulators’ safety and health regulations during the reopening. Despite the health protocols, many are concerned about the risks of contamination of the deadly virus in the gambling institutions.

Some people think that casinos are gambling the lives of people as they resume business amid the pandemic. However, casinos had no choice but to resume operations. They needed to choose between risking the health and the possibility of bankruptcy.

Coronavirus threatens the business activities of the state

New Jersey is one of the states with the most significant number of infection cases of the novel coronavirus.

Health officials reported nearly 200,000 confirmed cases, with almost 16,000 deaths. Regulators are reporting new cases every day.

The rapid spread of the virus in the state caused regulators to impose strict guidelines. During the reopening of the casinos, Governor Phil Murphy ordered a ban on smoking, drinking, and eating in the gambling venues.

The Governor also ordered everyone to wear masks at all times when they are outside their home.

Casinos needed to follow the mandate. They needed to impose strict rules on wearing masks inside the casinos. They were ordered to practice social distancing inside the casino floor.

Recently, the state-imposed mandatory 14-day quarantine to visitors prevented the spread of the virus from other states. Visitors from not less than 24 states, with reports of an increase in coronavirus cases, needed to undergo quarantine before entry to New Jersey.

Borgata’s reopening timely with stricter restrictions

The reopening of the top-performing casino in Atlantic City is timely to strict implementation of coronavirus measures of the state. The casino will host its soft opening starting July 23. Only guests are allowed to enter the casino. They plan to open doors to the public after three days.

Borgata remained closed despite the go signal from the Governor to start a business. They remained closed since Governor Murphy mandated to restrict indoor dining. The operators said they would not resume business until they can provide full casino experience to their customers.

Melonie Johnson, president and chief operating officer of Borgata, said that they decided to cancel the reopening to follow the Governor’s directives to shutdown indoor dining. The company president said they rescheduled the reopening date to ensure that they could provide guests with the world-class experience that they expect.

The casinos in Atlantic City were ordered to shut down on March 16 and permitted to operate at 25 percent capacity on July 2. The company said they plan to bring back 40 percent of its employees.