Wyoming's Northern Arapaho Tribe closes gaming facilities due to COVID-19

The Northern Arapaho Business Council announced Sunday that the Wind River Hotel & Casino and the tribe’s other gaming facilities will temporarily close their doors because of the spread of COVID-19 in Fremont County. 

In a Facebook post, the tribe also announced their decision to reduce some of its office hours, and that there won't be any layoffs, furloughs or reductions in pay at this time, the Star-Tribune reports. Some casino employees may transition into new positions temporarily.

If conditions allow it, the facilities will reopen on December 1st, the tribe explained.

The decisions come at the recommendation of tribal health authorities, the business council said.

"We’ve seen no indication the casino is a source of virus spread in our community, but Tribal health authorities have urged the Business Council to temporarily close these facilities due to surging case numbers in Fremont County," Chairman Lee Spoonhunter said in a statement. “This is a critical moment for the Arapaho people and all residents of the Wind River Reservation. If we don’t take responsible actions now – and if individuals don’t follow the guidelines and protect themselves and their loved ones – we risk losing to this virus even more of our sacred Elders, family members, friends and neighbors in the months ahead.”

Spoonhunter tested positive for the virus earlier in the week. According to the announcement, he is experiencing only mild symptoms. Spoonhunter is still working for the tribe while in quarantine.

The reduced public hours for some tribal departments take effect Monday as well. The tribe’s Enrollment and Finance offices are among the offices with reduced hours; they will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays. Other offices are temporarily closed to the public or only conducting business over the phone. Critical departments like sanitation, food delivery, elder services and law enforcement will continue to operate with the same hours.

The casinos closed in March because of the coronavirus but had since reopened.

Fremont County has had more residents die because of COVID-19 than any other Wyoming county, many of whom have been tribal members.