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“We knew that if it’s as bad as we thought it was, it’s clear that the casino could become a vector for a thing like COVID-19 and that’s not what we wanted for the Tribe or the surrounding communities.”įor the hundreds of employees that populate the Meskwaki Bingo Casino & Hotel’s workforce, the abrupt halt of operations would immediately bring questions about how they and their and families would survive and when an opportunity to return to work would become available.īrian Ehrig, MBCH Food & Beverage Director, poses for a photo following the reopening of the Meskwaki Bingo Casino & Hotel.īrian Ehrig of Gladbrook, IA, who is known by most folks at MBCH as “Boomer”, has been employed at the casino for over 20 years. “It was an obvious decision because at that time there was so much that was unknown,” said Whitebreast. and other large organizations and events shut down operations, it soon became apparent where the crisis was leading. Then as infections began to show up in the U.S. MBCH General Manager Dirk Whitebreast recalls the COVID-19 coronavirus first hitting their radar during January and February, particularly when casinos in Macau, China began to close amid the outbreak there. Now more than a week removed from opening back up, team members and guests at MBCH are all navigating a changed landscape but are nonetheless hopeful and glad to be back. The majority of the casinos throughout the State of Iowa chose to open their doors within a week of the governor’s proclamation but leaders on the Meskwaki Settlement opted for a more cautious approach and chose July 1st as its target date to begin the first phase of their reopening. Around the same time Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds issued a proclamation allowing amusement parks, casinos, bowling alleys, and other entertainment venues to reopen. Leadership continued to assess the public health risks throughout the shutdown and in late May announced a tentative reopen date of July 1st. The decision to close the Meskwaki Bingo Casino & Hotel (MBCH) came after a joint meeting between the Meskwaki Tribal Council and the casino’s Executive Management team on Monday, March 16. A view inside the gaming floor of the Meskwaki Bingo Casino & Hotel during the COVID-19 shutdown in spring of 2020.įor 105 days the largest employer in Tama County remained closed while states and nations battled the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

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