Reeves was confident MS casinos would open by Memorial Day. Now he’s not so sure.
With high COVID-19 case and death counts, Gov. Tate Reeves sounded less certain Tuesday about reopening casinos by Memorial Day and said gambling floors will probably look different when they are back in business.
Reeves had hoped to open casinos by May 25, but he and State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs have also acknowledged this week that the COVID-19 curve has not flattened.
The state reported 332 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and recorded 32 deaths, with 14 of those from coroner’s reports the Mississippi State Health Department is just now counting. Mississippi has a total of 8,207 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 342 deaths.
A reporter at the news conference mentioned that Memorial Day, the anticipated opening date for casinos, is only 18 days away and asked if reopening will happen then.
“It’s certainly possible,” Reeves said. “It is something that I am interested in looking into and doing.” But he said two days seems like an eternity in the face of the pandemic and 18 days away is a lifetime.
In other words, it’s just too early to tell.
He is in frequent touch with casino executives and Mississippi Gaming Commission, he said, but also is taking cues from Dobbs and the MSDH.
He said gambling floors might look different when casinos do reopen:
▪ Card and table games might not reopen immediately, with the potential for multiple people gathered in one spot.
▪ Every other slot machine might be closed so gamblers can social distance.
Several things about casinos bother Reeves in terms of potential spread, he said. Casino activities are mostly indoors, bars could be packed and people from all over visit casinos.
“There’s a lot of different guidelines the regulators, the industry, my team and the health team are looking at if we reopen casinos, and we will,” Reeves said.
He said he plans to be methodical.
“I committed to myself on day one that we’re going to make a decisions based on what is best for Mississippi residents every single time,” the governor said.
He’s also cognizant of the 200,000 unemployed Mississippians and the need to put people back to work, which he mentioned earlier in the news conference while discussing unemployment.
In February, long before Mississippi recorded its first COVID-19 death, the casino industry employed 16,500 people statewide, many of them working at casinos in Harrison and Hancock counties.
