LINCOLN CITY – The casino, hotel and golf operations at Chinook Winds abruptly closed at 6 p.m. Thursday to prevent further cases of COVID-19 among its 600 employees and guests.
The Confederated Tribes of Siletz announced the closure Thursday afternoon, just hours before guests were asked to leave. It hopes to reopen in two weeks, the casino said in a news release, or “as soon as it is safe to do so”.
There have been “some positive cases” among the casino’s employees, Heather Hatton, public relations manager for the casino, told YachatsNews. She would not say how many, only that approximately 60 percent of employees have been vaccinated.
“We’re just shutting down to be sure there’s no more cases,” Hatton said. “We’re trying to get all of our guests out tonight or as quick as we can. We’re trying to be pro-active. ”
It is the third closure for the casino since the coronavirus pandemic began 18 months ago. It closed from mid-March to mid-May 2020 and then again last December to mid-January.
“Despite the progress we have made to vaccinate our team, their families, and the community, increases in cases in the county and state have led us to make the difficult decision to close our operations until Aug. 26,” said general manager Michael Fisher.
Employees will be paid during the closure, Fisher said.
