Nj Casino Covid Cases

The casinos of Atlantic City have reopened in a pandemic world in a bid to try to salvage lost business. However, gamblers in Atlantic City are already being confronted with a very different casino experience.

New Jersey confirmed its first coronavirus case on Wednesday — a man in his 30s who has been hospitalized since Tuesday in Bergen County. “We take this situation very seriously and have been. New Jersey bars and restaurants must close indoor dining by 10 p.m., Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday as part of a series of new restrictions in response to rising in COVID-19 cases in the state. COVID-19 Casino Tracker The COVID-19 pandemic caused every single casino in the U.S. Use this map to see the current status. The COVID-19 pandemic closed all commercial and tribal casino properties in the United States.

Following a 108-day closure, many of Atlantic City’s casinos reopened their doors at the beginning of July. Avid visitors to the tables in Atlantic City have already noticed some of the changes casinos have made in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Casinos Implement Anti-Virus Measures

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy published guidance on what casinos should do in order to reopen safely and prevent a resurgence of the virus.

Compliance within casinos appeared to be nearly universal. An Associated Press reporter said that in more than two hours on the floor of the Hard Rock Casino he didn’t see a single customer not wearing a face mask of some kind. He also reported some customers were wearing full-face hoods extending down to their chests.

Casinos are currently limited to 25% of their usual operating capacity. At the tables, plexiglass dividers have been implemented in order to separate seats. Furthermore, slot machines are switched off every so often to maintain distance between players.

Thus far, it seems patrons are following both mask and social distancing guidelines.

New Jersey Residents Respond Positively

Despite videos emerging from major retailers like Walmart and Costco of confrontations between customers and staff over their anti-virus measures, the same scenes have not played out in Atlantic City.

On the contrary, visitors to the casinos of Atlantic City have responded positively to the changes.

Tony Revaman from Atlantic City says he used to visit the casinos twice a week before the March 16th shutdown. He said, “It’s great to be back. Only thing is you can’t smoke. I’m a smoker and I’m trying to find some way around this.”

Patrons of Atlantic City’s casinos were almost universal in their desire to follow the rules as long as they could gamble again.

Mike McLaughlin of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, said, “Accept, adapt, and have fun. I’m a gambler; this is what I do.”

Borgata Finally Removes its Resistance to Reopening

Eight of the nine Atlantic City casinos reopened their doors at the start of July, with three holding out for an extra day to give their high rollers a chance for a one-day head start, and to test out the new coronavirus measures in place.

The city’s largest and most profitable casino, the Borgata, decided against reopening. Indoor dining, drinking bans, and smoking bans within casinos encouraged the Borgata to reverse its reopening plans.

The Borgata has, finally, set a tentative date of July 26th for reopening. It remains unclear as to whether Governor Murphy will ease any of the coronavirus restrictions currently in place. However, the Borgata has been largely forced into a corner and has been forced to reopen in order to protect its position as the local market leader.

Will the Reopening Last for Long?

Anyone who has been reading the latest news regarding coronavirus will know that the number of infections throughout the US has exploded again. A spike in deaths in the coming weeks is widely expected. New Jersey has already experienced a major outbreak in cases.

This will leave Atlantic City’s nine casinos wondering whether they will be forced to reclose their doors and cause more disruption to their businesses.

The decision will likely rest on not New Jersey but on Atlantic City itself. If a major outbreak occurs within the city, another lockdown for the state’s casinos is likely.

For now, though, casinos are doing what they can to ensure that no clusters of coronavirus are traced back to their casinos or the city.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced new restrictions Monday afternoon amid a spike in COVID-19 positivity.

'A second wave is here,' Murphy said. 'This is our reality.'

Starting Nov. 12, restaurants, bars, clubs, lounges must close indoor dining by 10 p.m.

NEW: We’re taking action to stop the spread of #COVID19.

Effective Thursday, November 12th:

☑️No indoor dining between 10:00 PM – 5:00 AM at restaurants, bars, clubs, and lounges

☑️Outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery services may continue past 10:00 PM

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) November 9, 2020

The positivity has ticked up to 6%, and the numbers have been going up across the Tri-State area.

Murphy told CNBC Monday morning that he 'will take some steps,' described as 'tweaking our parameters at the edges,' to help curb rising coronavirus case.

'They won't come close to what we were doing in the spring,' he said. 'This is not a lockdown.'

CLICK HERE for today's latest coronavirus headlines

Casinos in Atlantic City will also not be permitted to serve food or alcohol during those overnight hours.

☑️Casinos must stop serving food/drinks at 10:00 PM

☑️All barside seating will be prohibited

☑️Restaurants may place tables closer than 6 feet ONLY if separated by barriers

☑️Individual fully-enclosed dining bubbles may be set-up for outside use

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) November 9, 2020

Indoor bar seating had up to this point had been covered under the state's indoor dining regulations, but it will now be prohibited.

The new restrictions, which will take effect Thursday, will not affect outdoor dining. Restaurants will be able to continue building out their outdoor dining, including setting up outdoor igloos.

Restaurants and bars are already limited to 25% indoor capacity, a restriction that is not expected to change.

Addressing indoor sports tournaments spreading the virus across state lines, the state will ban indoor interstate sports for elementary, middle and high school students. College and professional sports will not be affected.

NEW: Starting this Thursday, ALL interstate games and tournaments for indoor youth sports – up to and including high school – are prohibited.

It is simply not safe for teams to be crossing state lines at this time to participate in indoor competitions.

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) November 9, 2020

The rules are being put into effect two weeks before Thanksgiving to combat indoor dining spread during the holiday season.

Covid Cases Graph

Private indoor gatherings remain the state's primary concern, but lacking enforcement power in private homes, the state will continue to ask residents to keep gatherings to immediate family members.

The state has had infection rates as high as 8% within this past week.

He will detail the changes in restrictions at 1 p.m. in Trenton.

Murphy also discussed news that Pfizer's vaccine may be 90% effective, according to preliminary data, urging caution.

He said that while the trials are 'really, really good news,' its six-month vaccine distribution timeline will not change the state's short-term reality.

'We are sort of in a six-month window here...where we have to battle against the COVID fatigue, stop letting our hair down with holidays coming up,' he said. 'So the answer is it doesn't change us in that window, but it's really really good news in the longer term.'

State Health Commissioner Judith Perisichelli told '60 Minutes' Sunday night that the first batch of vaccine from the federal government will be enough to inoculate just 10% of the state's high priority health care worker category.

She said a state survey of health care members found 60% of the physicians would get the vaccine, and just 40% of nurses.

Related: Pfizer's early data looks promising, company says

Nj Casino Covid Cases

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