Tribes, as sovereign nations, are not required to follow the state's new stay-at-home orders. But keeping casinos open could increase the number of COVID-19 cases, one viral infections expert said. San Diego County Public Health officials said Wednesday they are working with tribal lands to investigate positive COVID-19 cases that may be connected to several local casinos.

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Several San Diego casinos say they are upping the ante when it comes to hygiene and addressing coronavirus worries among guests.

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• As many businesses remained under orders to stay closed during the coronavirus pandemic, tribes in San Diego County bucked recommendations from outside leaders and reopened their casinos with.
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To keep gamers pushing buttons and chips with peace of mind, some casinos are taking precautionary measures like installing more hand sanitizer stations, staff training, increased hand cleaning signage, and cleaning gaming machines more often.

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Sycuan Casino Resort in El Cajon says in addition to the above measures, they've also put anti-bacterial soap in all restrooms and are also using a casino chip company to clean and sanitize all their gaming chips.

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'With the recent onset of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Sycuan Casino Resort is taking every precaution to protect both our guests and Team Members. We are closely monitoring updates in regard to this matter and as an organization we will continue to take additional precautions and safety measures to minimize risk,' Sycuan General Manager Robert Cinelli said in a statement.

Lakeside's Barona Resort & Casino has taken similar steps. Assistant General Manager Troy Simpson said in part that the casino is 'stepping up efforts' in all areas of the resort.

'We are significantly increasing the frequency in which our casino, hotel, restaurants and all player and staff areas are deep cleaned with disinfectant. We are also increasing the frequency of disinfecting all touch points including: push plates and door handles; slot machines; table game rims; chairs; escalators; all touch points in hotel rooms and restaurants; counters; and many more,' Simpson's statement read in part, adding that the property's “triple-stage' air filtration system includes ultra violet lights that disinfect the air.

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Barona added that they have not see a noticeable effect on business due to worries over the virus.

Caesar's Entertainment, parent company of Harrah's Resort Southern California in Valley Center, has appointed a team to meet daily to develop ways to protect guests from coronavirus.

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Harrah's tells 10News it's following Caesar's policies, which include reminding employees to washing their hands often, posting hand-washing signage for guests, increasing the frequency high-touch surfaces throughout the property are cleaned, and encouraging potentially sick employees and guests to stay home.

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'The health authorities tell us that, to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, we must: wash hands frequently, heighten cleaning practices, avoid contact with sick people, stay away from work when ill and not travel to areas with high infection rates,' Caesar's response policy reads.