Queens casino, once a COVID testing site, is set to reopen
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A staff member sanitizes a slot machine at Resorts World Casino in Ozone Park. Photo via Resorts World
By David Brand
Resorts World Casino in Ozone Park will reopen Sept. 9, less than six months after its parking lot was transformed into one of Queens’ first COVID testing sites.
The casino, classified as a video lottery terminal facility and located next to the Aqueduct Racetrack, will reopen at 25 percent capacity based on new rules outlined by Gov. Andrew Cuomo Thursday.
“We've made the determination that we can safely reopen casinos with enhanced air filtration and strict safety protocols including mandatory masks and social distancing,” Cuomo said.
Resorts World parent company Genting notified the state Department of Labor that it had furloughed or laid off 951 employees at the casino due to the COVID-19 shutdown beginning April 15.
On July 13, Genting filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification indicating that the “separations” would likely exceed six months.
The reopening decision will allow the company to hire back a portion of the staff, though the exact figure was not immediately clear.
“The Resorts World team has been anxiously awaiting the day when we can open our doors again to the fun and excitement that our casinos are known for,” said Genting Americas East President Bob DeSalvio. “We are excited to play our part in Moving New York Forward.”
Resorts World staff and customers will undergo temperature checks before entering the building, officials said. People with a temperature above 100.4 degrees will not be allowed to enter.
The decision to reopen reflects the striking decrease in COVID-19 cases in Queens compared to six months ago. At the height of the public health crisis in March and April, a parking lot outside Resorts World and Aqueduct RaceTrack was used as a mobile COVID-19 testing site — one of the first non-hospital testing locations in the borough.
State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr., chair of the Senate’s Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee, praised the decision to reopen the casino in his district.
“On the heels of Labor Day, it’s important that the workers can get back to work,” Addabbo said.
He said he is hopeful the state will implement a plan to gradually increase capacity if casinos demonstrate they can uphold social distancing and COVID-19 rates remain relatively low across New York.
“We look forward to when we can get to a higher place of normalcy and we can only do that when we have guidelines in place,” he said.
