Last week, the union Unite Here Local 54 asked Governor Phil Murphy to introduce mandatory temperature screening for all casino venues in Atlantic City. So far, the Governor hasn’t responded the Union’s call.
Four Out of Nine Casinos in Atlantic City Screen Guest Temperature
The debate surrounding temperature checks for guests at casinos in Atlantic City started last week. In a video conference, the union Unite Here Local 54 called for mandatory temperature screening of all visitors of the nine casino-hotels in Atlantic City. According to the Union, such measure can mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Thus, the Union which represents more than 10,000 employees of the hospitality industry asked Governor Phil Murphy to introduce this additional measure. However, by now no official response was received by the Governor on the Unite Here Local 54’s call.
Currently, four venues in Atlantic City have introduced temperature checks for patrons. Those properties are:
- Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Atlantic City
- Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa
- Resorts Casino Hotel
- Golden Nugget Atlantic City
On the other hand, the other five casinos in the city are conducting screening by asking visitors COVID-19 related questions. Such screening is conducted in: Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City, Bally’s Atlantic City, Ocean Casino Resort and Tropicana Atlantic City. Here it is important to mention that all nine casino operators are screening their employees before the start of their shifts. Any employee with temperature of 100.4 degrees or above is sent home for treatment.
The Union’s Urge for Mandatory Temperature Screening
Last week, upon calling for temperature checks, Local 54 President Bob McDevitt said that this is just “one more layer of security for the workers and the guests” in the city. At the press conference last week, the Union said that additional measures need to be taken for the health and safety of guests and employees in the four properties by Caesars Entertainment Inc: Caesars, Harrah’s, Bally’s and Tropicana. Cited by Las Vegas Sun, a bartender at Harrah’s named Jason McKnigh said: “The rooms aren’t being cleaned on a daily basis the way they are supposed to. This is a lot of people in an enclosed place, and we’re not rising to the challenge.“
In response to this, the regional president for Caesars Entertainment Inc and Casino Association president Steve Callender said that the company’s health and safety plan fully complies with all government directives. Last week, he outlined that the plan was developed with experts in the field, following the governor’s executive orders and all state directives including the ones from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Callender outlined that besides the enhanced cleaning protocols, all of the guests at Caesars venues must undergo a screening process prior to entering. In conclusion he said that masks are mandatory for all visitors which is in line with the orders by the governor.