Should Casinos Open Back Up In The Capital Region?

The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on all of us. Restaurants, malls, salons, and gyms are all beginning to open. Casino owners have not been given any indication as to when they will be lucky enough to reopen, and they are looking for answers.

Governor Cuomo recently said that casinos are not considered essential. He is also concerned about the density involved in casinos and the likelihood that casinos would not be in compliance with COVID-19 procedures.

Casino workers are pleading with Governor Cuomo to reconsider his decision to keep them closed. Some are incensed that Governor Cuomo does not consider them “essential“. One casino worker stressed that the food he puts on the table is essential for his family and that his loved ones certainly consider him “essential“. Casinos have been shut down for 4 1/2 months, and the workers are feeling the pinch.

With legislators in Washington at a stalemate and gone home for recess, workers are really suffering. Some of the casino workers say that they are unable to survive on $150-$250 a week. It’s really hard since they are no longer receiving the additional $600 they were receiving for pandemic relief.

The pandemic is stressful and painful for many families. We depend on our jobs to make ends meet and to provide for our families. In times of crisis, most people believed that the government would be there for us. It’s unbelievable that the legislatures in Washington could really go on vacation without providing for the desperate relief that so many Americans depend on.