Navajo to open two New Mexico casinos at 25% capacity Friday

Navajo Nation will reopen two casinos in New Mexico this week as the tribe eases its restrictions on businesses amid a downturn in coronavirus cases.

The Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise has four casinos but will open only two of them Friday, and limit patrons to those who live on the vast reservation that stretches into New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, the Associated Press reports.

The enterprise will keep Fire Rock east of Gallup, and Northern Edge in Farmington, open for two weeks before determining whether to reopen two other casinos – one in northwestern New Mexico and the other east of Flagstaff, Arizona.

The casinos will operate at 25% capacity with no food or drink services at reduced hours —seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. All employees must test negative for COVID-19 before they return to work and be retested at least every two weeks. Customers must wear masks, get their temperatures checked and provide their contact information.

Furthermore, service lights on the slot machines will let customers request that the machines be sanitized. Smoking will be allowed only in designated outdoor areas, and social distancing will be enforced throughout the properties.

The casinos also are setting aside a couple of hours on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings for elderly patrons, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

“We recognize the hardships, sacrifices and losses that our people continue to endure and we pray for protection and recovery from COVID-19, and we thank our health care workers and front-line workers who put themselves in harm’s way to help our Navajo people to save countless lives,” Navajo President Jonathan Nez said in a statement.