Californians wanting to escape the new reality of the coronavirus at the movies, casino or amusement park are running into the six foot rule.
State health officials issued new guidance Saturday urging theaters to keep attendance under 250 people and ask strangers to sit six feet apart. The Department of Public Health said ushers should monitor theaters to ensure people are keeping appropriate social distance, while ensuring that family members can sit and stand in line together.
Officials issued similar guidance to gambling venues, urging them to limit 250 people per room and clean chips and slot machines more frequently. They urged theme parks and attractions to limit or stagger attendance.
Some of California’s largest card clubs announced Saturday that they will be closing, and one of them confirmed an employee had tested presumptive positive for COVID-19.
The Commerce Hotel & Casino had already announced plans to close when management learned that a worker was infected with the virus, spokesman Eric Rose told the Los Angeles Times. He added that the employee was self-quarantined.
The Gardens Casino in Hawaiian Gardens, The Bicycle Hotel & Casino in Bell Gardens and Hollywood Park Casino in Inglewood are all closing over the weekend, as well, and “plan to re-open as soon as possible.”
The Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula and the San Manuel Casino in Highland also announced closures through the end of the month.
“In light of the Governor’s directive, as well as the nature of this unprecedented threat to public health, the Casinos will close operations beginning this weekend,” the casinos said in a written statement.
KTLA’s Brian Day contributed to this report.
