Some Washington state tribes have decided to reopen their casinos to revive government budgets. | Pixabay
Some Washington state tribes have decided to reopen their casinos to revive government budgets. | Pixabay
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order is in effect until the end of this month, but some Washington tribes are operating their casinos in an effort to revive their government budgets.
While the casinos are conducting business on reservation lands, the tribes exercise decision making authority that supersedes Inslee's stay-at-home order, according to the Seattle Times. The Coeur d’Alene and Kalispel tribes are among the first tribes in the state to reopen their facilities as of early May.
But some tribes have not followed suit. According to the Seattle Times, the Puyallup tribe is assessing the situation on a daily basis before making their next move.
David Bean, chairman of the Puyallup tribal council, told the Seattle Times the overall health and welfare of employees, customers and neighbors will factor into the reopening process.
The open casinos are taking precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19 such as shutting off certain machines to implement social distancing, installing plexiglass shields and deep cleaning.
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