Three Pennsylvania casinos get green light to reopen

After being closed for more than three months because of the coronavirus pandemic, Mohegan Sun Pocono will resume operations at 10 a.m. on Monday.

According to the casino's announcement, multiple precautions will be in place to ensure the safety of patrons and employees:

• Guests and employees will be required to wear face masks unless they are eating, drinking or smoking.
• Restaurants and bars will have reduced seating capacity.
• Temperature checks will be conducted of everyone at entrances to the casino. Anyone whose temperature registers as 100.2 degrees or higher will be rechecked. If the reading is still high, the person will be denied entry and asked to return when he or she feels healthy.
• Some slot machines will remain turned off and seating at table games will be limited, to promote distancing.
• Plexiglass dividers have been installed at “transactional locations.”
• The entire casino will be cleaned and disinfected frequently.
• Hand sanitizing stations and disinfecting wipes have been added throughout the property.
• Floor decals and signage will reinforce the message about distancing.
• Only the main valet entrance and hotel valet entrance will be open. The racing entrance will open in the near future.

Mohegan Sun Pocono hotel will remain closed during the initial reopening. It will reopen on June 28. Reservations will be accepted starting June 22.

Some businesses and amenities at the casino and resort will also remain closed. They include valet parking, Seasons Buffet, the poker room, pools and gyms.

Live racing at the harness racing track will remain closed for now, but Mohegan Sun officials say they anticipate racing will resume “very soon.”

The casino has been closed since March 16. Gov. Tom Wolf ordered all casinos to remain closed in counties that were in the red or yellow phases of the state’s color-coded plan to reopen during recovery from the pandemic.

Casinos are permitted to reopen when counties move into the least-restrictive green phase of reopening, as Luzerne County will do on Friday.

With Monroe County also set to go green this Friday, Mount Airy Casino Resort will have the green light to open; however, the Poconos casino has not yet revealed its plans for reopening.

Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course will reopen both its gambling floor and its horse racing operations this week at 9 a.m. on Friday, PennLive reports.

Hollywood will restrict capacity to 50 percent or less and most restaurants will not be open. Gone for now is the availability of 24-hour action, as well; the casino will be open from 7 a.m. - 3 a.m., daily after Friday, and deep cleaning will be done between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m.

Customers will be required to wear a mask and answer a health survey before entering. Additionally, fans cannot watch the races from trackside but can view the card from the third-floor indoor seating area that overlooks the oval.

 “While the amenities our customers have come to know and love may be somewhat limited for the time being, the ability to safely welcome back our team members and guests remains our top priority.” Daniel Ihm, the Vice President and General Manager of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, said in a news release.