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Oneida Indian Nation to reopen New York properties

20 May 2020

UPDATE - 10 June - The three Oneida Nation casinos opened for business on Wednesday, 10 June.

Oneida Indian Nation, the first upstate casino operator to announce the temporary closure of its gaming venues this past March, has developed a reopening plan for gaming and hospitality operations set for a tentative date of Wednesday, 10 June. This initial reopening is part of a multi-phased approach to restore full operations at the Nation’s award-winning New York properties with a focus on the health and safety of guests and employees.

The determination to open on 10 June follows the Nation’s careful monitoring of 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 10 June target date for reopening will allow the Nation’s enterprises to assess updated metrics and consider other regional openings before the reopening.

The Nation has developed a comprehensive Reopening Health & Safety Plan entitled “Safer Together,” which adopts best practices from gaming and hospitality venues throughout the world and incorporates input from our regional partners, including from neighboring municipalities. The comprehensive reopening plan provides a blueprint to resume operations at Turning Stone Resort Casino, Yellow Brick Road Casino and Point Place Casino under the conditions of sweeping measures designed to uphold the highest standards of public health.

As outlined in the “Safer Together” Plan, the Nation is introducing a wide range of newly added health measures. Key examples include:
  • Access to facilities will be limited to guests who travel from within 120 miles, and an identification verification will be deployed to aid contact tracing if it becomes necessary.
  • There will be no shows/concerts in our Showroom or Event Center until mass gatherings can be offered without undue risk.
  • Mandatory face coverings for employees, guests, vendors and the public — wherever feasible throughout our facilities.
  • Gloves required for all employees who are working in direct contact with guests, including in all restaurants, at registration desks and on the gaming floors.
  • All restaurants and bars will have at least 6 feet of separation between tables. Buffets or other self-service food options will remain closed, and there will be no self-service food in any of our players’ lounges or banquet rooms.
  • There will be enhanced cleaning across all enterprises.
“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,” said Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Oneida Nation Enterprises CEO Ray Halbritter. “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.”

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente stated: “I have closely reviewed the detailed reopening plan put together by the Oneida Indian Nation and found it to be thorough and measured. 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 Nation’s robust 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.”

On the same day, PlayOn - Oneida Lake, PlayOn -Patrick Road, PlayOn - Canastota, PlayOn - Oneida, Playon - Sherrill, PlayOn - Upper Lennox and PlayOn - Verona will all be reopening as well.

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