Good Morning. Thank you for joining us today! My best wishes to you, your families and your people during this difficult time of the National COVID-19 Pandemic Public Emergency and Economic Crisis. NATIONAL COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY Just after the Tribal Interior Budget Committee was meeting in Washington, DC on March 13, 2020, President Trump called a Press Conference and announced that America faced a National Public Health Emergency and Economic Crisis. The President declared, “The spread of COVID-19 within our Nation’s communities threatens to strain our Nation’s healthcare systems….” INDIAN GAMING TRADE SHOW POSTPONED We immediately reached out to our Tribal Leaders including the National Indian Gaming Association Board, and as we were making the difficult decision to postpone our Annual Trade Show and Convention, the City of San Diego and the California’s Governor announced the stay home policy. We will continue to monitor the situation. It is our hope to announce new dates as soon possible given the current status of the COVID-19 surge. CDC GUIDANCE TO SLOW AND STOP THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS CDC reports: COVID-19 virus is spreading more efficiently than influenza…. [T]he more closely a person interacts with others and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread. The CDC explains the best way to protect yourself from Coronavirus: • Social distance: stay at least 6 feet apart. • Wash your hands often with soap and water, or use a hand sanitizer. • Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces. • Use a mask to cover your nose and mouth. So, we must all work to protect our elders, children, families and nations. INDIAN GAMING: TEMPORARY CLOSURES At the onset of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, elected tribal leaders made the hard decisions to close their governments and tribal gaming properties when the Federal Government called for closures in March 2019. Almost overnight, Indian Nations and Tribes temporarily closed, recognizing our pledge to protect the environment, public health and safety of our Indian gaming operations. The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) reports that virtually all 420+ Indian gaming facilities were temporarily closed. Many of our Indian gaming facilities have re-opened around the country, with reduced capacity to maintain social distancing, masks required, continuous cleaning, temperature checks for employees and all-important health and safety measures for patrons too.
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