SAN DIEGO – Sycuan Casino Resort said it will reopen the property on May 20 at noon.
The east San Diego property has been closed since March 20 due to the coronavirus pandemic and the Sycuan tribe put in place strict prevention guidelines from health and government agencies amid COVID-19 concerns.
“Over the past several weeks, we have made extensive changes at our property and implemented an aggressive health and sanitation program to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect our guests and team members for our reopening,” said Cody J. Martinez, Chairman, Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.
The tribe will open select venues and gaming areas in the initial phase of the reopening. Casino leadership will evaluate the reopening strategy.
“We are excited to welcome back our guests and start bringing back the hospitality, gaming, and fun that Sycuan Casino Resort is known for,” Martinez said. “I want to thank our guests and team members in advance for their patience as our additional safety measures will undoubtedly create some inconveniences for them, but please know they were put in place for a good reason.”
Sycuan plans to reopen its property in phases, with select gaming machines, restaurants, and other amenities remaining closed in the initial phase. The time between phases is unknown and will depend on the successful execution of each phase.
During phase one, food and beverage venues will have limited hours of operation with select venues open, including Double-Down Grill, House of Fortune, Rank & File, and Hangry’s Sunset Deli and Pizza. Food service will be available for to-go orders and sit-down dining service will be limited to allow for physical distancing between guests.
Sycuan has extensive and aggressive health and sanitation program to safeguard guests, team members and the surrounding community. The new program outlines several new initiatives throughout the property to ensure a safe and healthy environment upon reopening.
“Our new health and sanitation program demonstrates our commitment to protecting the health and safety of our guests, team members and community as a whole,” Martinez said. “We are taking all of these new safety measures very seriously and will continue to improve and implement processes as needed for our reopening.”
One of the major initiatives in the new program includes a partnership with San Diego-based TruClean, which has applied self-cleaning antimicrobial surface coating throughout the property, including the market and gas station. TruClean’s EPA-registered surface-bonding coating inhibits the growth of microorganisms with a single application for up to a year.
All guests and team members will be required to wear a face covering, and points of entry into the property will be limited to allow Sycuan’s security team to conduct a non-invasive temperature check with thermal cameras. Team members or guests confirmed to have a temperature over 100.0°F will not be allowed entry to the property and will be asked to seek an evaluation from their health-care provider.
Guests will be directed to practice physical distancing with floor decals to display standing at least six feet away from people they have not traveled with while standing in lines, using elevators or moving around the property. Sycuan has also installed plexiglass shields in close-contact areas, such as casino cashiers, restaurant cashiers, Club Sycuan desks, VIP host stations, and hotel check-in.
Several additional safety and hygiene signage have been posted throughout the property outlining the proper way to wear, handle and dispose of masks, as well as reminders of proper health and hygiene practices in both front of the house and back of house areas. Additional hand sanitizing stations have also been installed in driveways, reception areas, the casino floor, restaurants, elevator-landing areas, and elsewhere.
Live games will be limited to a maximum of three players per table, every other slot machine will be turned off for a safer distance between players, and all slots and tables will be cleaned frequently.
Team members will be required to wear and provided personal protective equipment (PPE) during their shifts and will be trained extensively on the new health and sanitation protocols. Teams with frequent guest contact will be given more comprehensive training on how to do so in a manner that protects not only the guest but themselves.
Sycuan’s health and sanitation program have been reviewed and approved by numerous tribal, local, state, and federal health regulators. In all, the casino management team was expected to adhere to more than 700 individual compliance measures before certification.
