Do I still have to wear a mask at Mississippi casinos? Here are the new COVID rules.
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Mississippi mask mandate
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves is ending the state’s mask mandate during the coronavirus pandemic. Here are stories that you need to know.
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Do I still have to wear a mask at Mississippi casinos? Here are the new COVID rules.
COVID-19 has now killed 800 people in South Mississippi
The Mississippi Gaming Commission changed some of its COVID-19 regulations Thursday but left in place the mask mandate.
Keith Crosby, general manager of Palace Casino Biloxi, said Coast casino operators are happy with the Gaming Commission’s rulings.
“It makes a lot of sense,” he said. If the Gaming Commission had left it up to the individual casinos to decide whether to enforce a mask mandate, “We were going to stick to what we’ve got,” he said, and continue to require masks.
Under the new guidelines that are effective at 5 p.m. March 4:
▪ Occupancy on the casino property now limited to 75% of the property’s maximum occupancy, up from 50%.
▪ Everyone in the indoor public areas of a casino property is required to wear a mask or face shield covering the nose and mouth.
▪ Masks can be removed temporarily while eating or drinking or when asked by casino staff for identification.
▪ Casinos must encourage social distancing between visitors and between staff and post signs in public areas.
▪ Signs also will be placed at all casino entrances with a checklist of COVID-19 symptoms, asking staff members and visitors not to enter the property if their answer is “yes” to any question on the checklist.
▪ Staff members will clean and disinfect high-frequency touch-point areas at least once every two hours.
▪ Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the casino floor.
▪ Housekeeping in guest rooms will be offered at check-out only (or upon request by guest).
▪ Guests or staff who don’t comply will be asked to leave the property.
Wearing a mask has been required of everyone visiting or working at one of the Mississippi Coast casinos since the Fourth of July.
Gov. Tate Reeves dropped the state mask mandate effective at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 3.
When the mask order is dropped inside the casinos, it will be at the order of the Mississippi Gaming Commission.
On July 2, when COVID-19 cases were on the rise in the state’s first peak, the commission ordered that masks should be worn in all the casinos and removed temporarily while eating or drinking.
Now the number of coronavirus cases in the state is down to the level it was when the mask mandate was ordered, and the Gaming Commission considered whether to let players and staff decide whether or not they want to wear a mask. Ultimately they kept the mask order in place for now.
This story was originally published March 3, 2021 at 12:10 PM.
