Lawsuit also sheds light on how quickly COVID-19 began affecting San Diego County casinos
No running water. No electricity. On Navajo Nation, coronavirus creates worry and confusion as cases surge Coronavirus anxiety is running high on Navajo Nation — a sprawling reservation of 175,000 residents, scarce supplies and resources, and only four inpatient hospitals.
Cases are soaring, and at least two already have died. The Sheriff’s Department said in a statement last week that they did not send any additional letters when casinos reopened in part because of the tribes’ “implementation of extensive mitigation procedures.” However, since then, the county has not publicly released information about outbreaks that may have occurred at local casinos, deferring to the tribes who have sovereign authority. County officials have not explained why tribal sovereignty impedes the county’s ability to report outbreaks that stem from casinos, which are identified through county-run contact tracing efforts and mostly involve San Diego County residents.Although outbreak information remains mysterious, since the pandemic began, county officials have identified 217 San Diego County residents who stated they were at a casino in the 14 days prior to illness onset. Of those, 76 were casino staff members and 141 were patrons. Seven casinos were named. Twelve of the individuals were hospitalized, and one person identified as a casino patron died. Some of the 217 cases may have been contagious while at a casino, so close contacts were identified and quarantined. County officials also noted that just because a person was at a casino during the potential exposure period doesn’t mean that they contracted the virus at that casino.“We have repeatedly commented that going to a casino is not essential and that anyone who does so should wear a mask, wash hands, and socially distance,” said county spokesman Michael Workman. “Going to a casino would place a person at higher risk for contracting COVID compared to not attending, and those who do go are encouraged to review the precautions that the casino is taking to prevent illness.” The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation was the only tribe to respond to repeated requests for information about cases or outbreaks that have occurred at local casinos. Sycuan officials said that since the start of the pandemic, one casino vendor and 27 casino employees have contracted COVID-19. Adam Day, chief administrative officer of the Sycuan Tribal Government, said the tribe identified its first coronavirus case involving an employee on March 20 — the day the casino closed. The employee told management that she started experiencing symptoms after traveling out of the country. She later tested positive. “Since this first positive test result, we have kept detailed records of all positive cases of employees that have been traced back to Sycuan,” Day said. “This info is then communicated to our twice a week to ensure they are fully informed at all times.”Day estimates about 1,800 employees work across the casino grounds every day and that about 10,000 people visit Sycuan Casino every day. Unlike state, county and local governments, which can collect sales, income and property taxes, tribal governments use business operations to raise revenues. Since the 1970s, gaming operations have been the most successful and reliable government revenue stream across Indian Country, experts have said. Although tribes receive some federal funding, successful economic developments like casinos are critical for tribal nations. In its lawsuit, the Jamul Indian Village Development Corp. stated the casino “suffered a catastrophic loss of business income” during the closure. The tribe relies on that revenue, the lawsuit states, to support governmental programs for elders, youth, health, safety, housing, education and fire services.Jamul Casino supports more than 1,000 permanent jobs in the region, according to the tribe.
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